Battle of the Mind
by Atalus
Summary: When the boys let Isabella choose the days activities, she takes them on a wild ride along the physic highway within Phineas himself. But will it end there? Could that just be the first link in a long chain of events? Find out if truths are revealed and if secrets were ever really hidden.
1. The plan

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

_Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you are riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live! _-Bob Marley

Isabella sat in her room reading a magazine after a day of extreme backpacking with the Fireside Girls. Adyson had given it to her saying there was some neat articles in it. She had read one about why fashion trends where repeating, one about cell phones killing relationships, and she was now reading about how the mind hides secrets. This was the first one that honestly interested her, as she really would like to know if a certain triangular headed boy had any. Especially if they had anything to do with her.

"Listen to this, Pinky. It say that everyone has doors in the far corners of their mind where they hide things. All these doors are connected to memories. I wonder if that means that they are deep within the Forest of Memories?" She patted her little dog as she walked over to her desk to leave the magazine on it.

"When we went into Candace's mind, we saw all kind of things. But I don't remember any doors. But we didn't go very deep into her 'Forest of Memories' either. I wonder what my mind looks like, or better yet, what Phineas' looks like?" The little dog barked at her.

"You think it's a great idea too? You are such a good dog! But how do I do that? I wonder if there is any real truth to that door stuff?" The dog yipped at her three times.

"Baljeet! He would know about things like that. He brags about having gone to psychology camp every chance he gets. At least then I would know if there is any real truth in the matter." Pinky just sat down and continued to pant.

She looked across the road as the sun light started to fade. The bothers were in the backyard debating something. They always had something on their mind to talk about. With a sigh, she turned away and went to wash up before supper. _If one of them only knew that they were on my mind._

…...

"You know Ferb, we should give our friends another day to pick the activity we do. So we can work on our inventing on the fly. So do you want to do that tomorrow or the next day?"

The bothers were walking inside after disusing doing a cooking show using hamsters. They walked though the kitchen and saw their mother cooking. She heard them talking. "Dinner in ten minutes."

"Kay, mom. So what do you think?"

"Which friend will we choose to make this choice?"

"How about Isabella! I don't think she has really every asked us to any certain thing for her. At least I don't think so."

"She has, but that's fine with me. The cooking show can wait. I think we use squirrels instead."

"Why?"

"They work faster and their hands might be able to hold onto a blender."

As they reached their room, Phineas pulled out a note pad from his back pocket. He made jotted something down before replacing it in his pocket. He walked over to his window and looked out. He smiled at the thought at another day full of fun.

"Well, guess we better get down there and eat dinner. I think I smell tacos."

…...

Alice uploaded another file from the D. E. Inc. It was another weird device that looked like it could never really be make. Half the parts it called for were restricted from public use. But the checks always cleared and at least they got picked up. She hated spending an hour getting the blue prints made only to have them sit on the self for years.

She pulled the filed into the creation program and started cleaning up the notes and getting the images centered. A few minutes later she took a break and walked around the shop. All the boxes had prints in them, but one always interested her more above all the others. The one on the far bottom corner had a time lock on it. The owner had told her that they could not sell any of them until the time lock expired, which just happened to be in two days. It had taken a bribe, but she made sure she was working that day.

But it wasn't that time yet and the guy who picked up the prints she was working on would be there first thing in the morning. So it was easier if he didn't have to wait, he got all huffy when that happened. She sighed and sat back down and continued her work.

* * *

**Review and let your voice be heard. **


	2. Verification

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Ring

_That noise is not common among normal proceedings of International Science Committee. And I was in the middle of a great speech on gravitational irregularities being admitted form…_

Ring

_How absolutely annoying! The sound is cutting me off in mid thought now! How could someone be so thoughtless about a subject that could very well change our lives forever? Do they not underst….._

Ring

Baljeet opened his eyes and realized he had been dreaming. He was in his bed with the sun peaking in the window. Rolling over to look at his clock, he saw it was just seven minutes after seven.

Ring

His cell phone was ringing. _So that was the sound. It was me the whole time. Ha ha. Wait…..why is someone calling me this early?_ He picked up his phone and looked at the number. It was Isabella.

"Hello."

"Hey, Baljeet. How are you this morning?"

"I was in the middle of a dream, if that is what you mean."

"I woke you up? I'm so sorry. I thought you would get up early to watch the early morning documentaries on the history channel."

"They run documentaries this early?"

"That's not why I called. In psychology, is the notion that we all have hidden doors in our minds that we store things behind valid?"

"It is the most accepted theory. I do not see any reason it would not be doors. We all hide thing behind barriers, or at least that is what most theorist on the subject say. A door is the easiest thing for us to use to describe these barriers, since we open then on occasion and store more behind them."

"So, yes?"

"Yes, it is a valid notion."

"GREAT! Uh, are you going over to Phineas and Ferbs today?"

"Nope, I am a judge at a spelling be. After I won four this summer, they called me in as a judge instead of letting me enter this one. I AM SO EXCITED!"

"Riiight. Do you know if Buford is?"

"He is not. He has a bully review today."

"A what?"

"He is going to a wrestling match. He says it's the best way to hone your bulling skills."

"OooooK. Have fun at the spelling bee. Thanks again"

Click.

He hung up his phone and got out of bed. Walking into the bathroom, he grabbed his tooth brush and tooth paste. H was half way done when his eyes went wide.

"When did Isabella become so interested in psychology?"

...

Conference calls always took a while to set up, but it was the fastest way to get everyone on board with her plan. The Fireside Girls where used to her calling them in such a manner by now, as she had been doing it for years. After ten minutes, all the girls where on the phone.

"So what's this all about, Isabella?" Gretchen asked.

"I have another plan for getting the attention of Phineas and this time I need your help to pull it off."

"All of us?" Addison questioned.

"Yes, all of you. Phineas texted me this morning and told me I get to pick today's activity. So I say we dive into the mind of Phineas like we did with Candace."

"And how will this help you?" Ginger queried

"I have learned that everyone has a doorway in the back corners of their mind where they hide secrets. I need to you to distract the brothers while I sneak off and find this door. Hopefully, this will be quick and easy."

"Is it ever quick and easy when it comes to Phineas?" Gretchen inquired.

"Will this hurt Phineas?" Katie asked hesitantly.

"It shouldn't. Plus this will tell me once and for all if I am wasting my time with him. After this, I might be brave enough to honestly say something to him."

"Ah-uh" Gretchen stated,

"I hope there is not a lot of confusing things in his mind. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it." Milly replied.

"You want us to distract Ferb too; the most observant person we have ever known?" Holly asked.

"Do you think he would allow me to search for this door in his brothers mind?"

Silence

"I didn't think so. Now it's a pretty straightforward plan. But I have a bonus for you all. Are you girls up for getting your Misdirection patches?"

In unison. "Yes, ma'am."

...

The tree's leaves swayed as they caught a slight breeze. He sat there staring up at them thinking about nothing. His stepbrother sat beside him engrossed in a novel. Phineas always admired how much Ferb could read. There was days that he would not look up from a book except to eat. Their mother had banned all books at meal times due to Ferb's reading habits. But during the summer, projects and construction took up most of his time. Ferb was the man who could make anything.

"So, brother of mine. I wonder what we will be doing today." Ferb shrugged, not looking up from his book.

Ferb had many thoughts about what Isabella would chose to do, but the objective of that choice would all be the same. _She was going to try to get Phineas to admit he care for her. Which it's obvious that he does. But girls have strange ways of doing things. Who am I to say anything about it? This little game they play is almost funny. Now where was I ...the warrior was hunting the dragon._

About that time Isabella and the Fireside girls walked into the back yard. Isabella walked up to the two boys and proudly proclaimed.

"Phineas, Ferb, I know what we're going to do today."

* * *

**Review and have fun.**


	3. The Mind of Flynn

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to go into Ferb's mind? His would be more colorful. Not to mention all the books he's read, it could be a fantasy adventure."

The group sat around a modified Mind Machine. This one allowed people to enter into the select person's mind without a navigator. The host mind, or the mind everyone was entering, had the ability to push others and themselves out via a button they subconsciously took into the mental world with them.

Everyone sat in reclined lawn chairs with conductors strapped to their head. Phineas had a metal hat on in addition to the conductors since he was the host mind.

Isabella giggled and smiled. "I'm sure. Now lets get this party started!"

"Alrighty, everyone sit back and close your eyes." Once Phineas saw everyone had, he did the same.

"Now count backwards from four."

"Four...three...two...one..."

They opened their eyes and found themselves on a grassy meadow. A gentle breeze flowing around them that drew their attention to a majestic tree standing proudly in the center of the seine. The grass was a royal blue and the tree seemed to have several colors of fruit on it. The sky was a just like a sunny day in reality. Light blue with white puffs slowly passing by.

"Wow. It's so pretty here. I just feel so calm and excited. Why is that?" Holly asked

"According to the Fireside Girl handbook, blue is a calming color. In addition a meadow setting causes memories of excitement to be brought to the conscious mind, thus stimulating you to feel excited. But there is nothing here about a tree." Gretchen explained.

Phineas started walking toward the tree, talking as he went.

"Fortnightly, Ferb and I have read up on the astro-plane and have a decent understanding of the manifestations the mind creates. That is my Idea Tree. Everything I think of comes from that tree. I think they are color coded according to how they are used. Most of them are projects for us to build. Buts ones that don't require any building are the white ones, I think. The purple ones are one that I need to refer to Ferb for. He is the man when it comes to smoothing out the final details of a plan. The green ones are concepts for doing this that have never been done before. They require a little testing before dive into the full project. The orange ones are about food. The red ones about clothes. You don't see that many, do you? Blue ones are personal desires or feelings. Brown are just random stuff. Pink is...just something I think about sometimes. The subject doesn't really matter. With that being that being said, behold, my Tree of Ideas. "

They were standing at the base of the trunk now. The girls walked in a group and stayed together as they looked up at the limbs and the fruit growing on them. They were in awe at its size, easily two stories tall. The leaves where a majestic green and the trunk a healthy medium brown. Only the fruit made the tree seem out of place.

"But aren't trees connected to memory, like in the Forest of Memory?" Milly inquired.

"Right you are, and the roots of this particular one go to two parts of my mind, memory and creativity. Given enough time, ideas will bloom and grow into what appears to be fruit. This fruit...oww, blueprints."

Phineas pulled a piece of fruit off the tree and it just happened to be a blueprint for a slingshot water ride. He began studying it as the others walked around to looked at all the fruit.

"So all there are ideas? What happens if they fall off?" Addison looked at Ferb, who gestured to small group of gnome looking creatures coming over a near by hill. Each one looked only about two feet tall, with red pointy hats, and a pudgy body colored baby blue. Their clothes where green overhauls with yellow buttons. They walked up to the tree and started walking around, paying little attention to the others.

"Eek, what are they!" Katie jumped back as one passed her.

"They're the grabbers, they take any ideas and run with it to a processing area. Or at least I think they do. Lets follow them, it should be fun."

He handed the idea to on the collectors, who ran off jumping for joy as the other ran after him. The group hurried after them till they came to a polished chrome machine. It was at least three times as tall as any one of them. Pipes fed into it from every direction. As the collectors fed the idea into the machine, it came to life. Steam and whistles came from everywhere as it thumped and whomped. The grabbers jumped about working leavers and nobs as the idea vanished in to the machine. Ferb noted that their work had a beat to it. So he pulled out a tambourine and stayed in time. Soon they all started to move with the rhythm. A minute later Phineas had a guitar in hand and had a full musical number going. The girls smiled in spite of themselves as they danced, all was going according to plan.

...

Isabella watch them walk down the hill toward the tree before running down the opposite side. She knew she had to find the door quickly. Even with the Fireside distracting the brothers, they would notice sooner or later. She ran on till she reached what looked like a valley with steep sides. As she walked on, she started to hear whispering. Looking around, she saw nothing.

"Got a hold of yourself. This is Phineas' mind. He would not have anything here that could hurt anyone."

A faint wind whistled through the valley. She rubbed her arms as she shivered. The whispering returned. In spite of herself, she looked up along the walls and saw little figures peering down at her. Jerking her head around, she saw more and more of them. The whispering grew loader.

_The pink dress suggest female.  
Jerking movement observed.  
Shivering.  
Reactions show fear.  
We have concluded we see a girl.  
She is looking around.  
Uncertain.  
Lost.  
Questions.  
She must ask.  
She must ask.  
She must ask!_

Fear griped her stomach in an iron fist. She was on her knees, almost in tears. They would not stop repeating the last line over and over. They grew loader and loader. Her hands were over her ears as she brought her face near the ground. _This can't be happening. I'm in Phineas' mind. He would never try to scare me. Who are these people? WHO ARE THEY!_

"Who are you?" She whispered as she started to shiver uncontrollably.

Silence.

"We are not someone."

The voice came from someone in front of her. She brought her head up to see a small, sprite like creature standing before her. It had a round head with no ears and no mouth. Only two white dots appeared to be its eyes. It's body looked like a bell, with small cones suspended in midair for arms and legs. She was still on her hands and knees and was looking it straight in the eye. Tilting her head to look around, she saw the walls were empty.

She sat down and looked at the sprite. _He answered my question._

"What are you?"

"We are that that makes sense of everything brought to us."

"So where am I?"

"You are in the Valley of Logic."

"Can you tell me where the Forest of Memory is?"

"Beyond."

"Beyond where?"

"Here."

"Can you point me in a direction?"

"It is not the way you came."

She looked down the valley and saw that it did open up. She stood up at last and found she towered over the little sprite. Now that she wasn't afraid, she almost found it cute. It just stood there, just blinking its tiny eyes. For a moment she thought of asking it more, but she decided not to press her luck. _I have to remember that everything here is part of Phineas. So speaking to anything here is like talking to him. I'm gunna have a headache after this is over._

"Thank you for all you help."

"Gratitude noted."

She smiled as she walked on and out of the valley. Her experience in Candace's mind had not prepared her for the depth of Phineas'. He thought more, reasoned more, and could build two fifty foot tree house robots in a matter of hours.

She looked around and saw a cluster of trees. _O thank goodness. I don't think I could take running though something else._ She ran to it and saw that it looked similar to the forest she had seen before. Walking alone deeper and deeper into this forest made her even more uneasy. The trees where just so plain. As she walk the happy and warm light started to fade.

_I came this far, I will not give up. I will find his hidden door!_

She looked around and saw that the trees were gone. The sky had vanished. She turned around and saw the Forest of Memory just steps behind her. Even the ground stood on what looked like nothing but darkness. Taking a nervous gulp, she turned back around.

There was a door in front of her.

_THIS IS IT! I just know it is! All the secrets of Phineas Flynn are right in front of me. I will finally know the answer to my burning question._

Her hand slowly reached for the knob. All the wondering was over. All the heartache, done with. An end to all the frustration, was just beyond that door. Just a hair away from touching it, she stopped.

"This is it. No turning back. This is the real deal. Phineas Flynn's feelings for me …... are right here. All I have to do is open this door. …... This door. …... That is right in front of me."

Taking a long deep breath, she took hold of it.

Suddenly a wind rushed in and picked her up, pulling her away from the door with intense force. The forest fell behind her and vanish. The world burst into a sea of swirling colors. She managed to get her other hand on the door knob.

_NO! Not now! I am so close!_

The wind tightened its grip on her and pulled harder. She held the door knob as hard as she could. Determination flooding her veins, she would not fail. Teeth bared she pulled against the wind with all her might.

_I can't lose it now! The answer is right here!_

A gust slammed into her. Her grip failed as she shielded her face. An instant later, she realized what she had done. She clawed for the knob, but it was out of reach. The door moved farther and farther away as the wind carried her on.

Finally, as a colors collapsed around her, she screamed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Then the darkness.

* * *

**I really like cliffhangers, could you tell? Review and have fun. **


	4. Q & A

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

"Isabella..."

She was surrounded by nothing, just a dark empty void. Part of her told her she should be afraid, but fear had no claim on her.

"ISabella..."

Was that her name? It seemed so long since she had heard it. Nothing seemed to matter. All was darkness. There should be something that mattered to her. But why?

"ISAbella..."

That name again. Where was it coming from? It was annoying her now. Was that anger? That was a feeling, right? An emotion?

"ISABELLA..."

She was shaking. No, she was being shook. Something was shaking her! She fought against it. A bright light appeared. It burned! _No! You will not take me! NO NO NO NO. __All at once, something came to her that she screamed. _

_PHINEAS!_

...

"ISABELLA!"

He eyes snapped open to see a pointy head in her face. His eyes were wide, full of concern and fear. She felt his hands on her shoulders, like he had been gripping them. Blinking, she realized who he was and what he had been doing.

"Ph...Phineas?"

"OH, THANK GOODNESS!"

He wrapped his arm around her. Her checks burned a bright red as she regained her composure and saw that she was being hugged by the very guy who's secrets she had attempted to raid. He pulled away and held her at arms length as the others came into view. Ferb and the Fireside Girls were standing right behind him. They share his relieved look. Phineas was the first to speak.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you weren't with us. We looked everywhere for you and couldn't find you. When I aborted everyone else, you didn't come out. I'm so very sorry for what ever happened to you."

_W...w...what? He thinks this is his fault? _She felt ashamed. He was taking the blame for something that she most likely caused herself.

"It's...ok."

"No it's not. Hmmm. I know. Ferb break out that Holo-pets."

Ferb ran to the garage and came back with a box of what looked like large wrist watches. Phineas leaped up and took one that his brother had tossed him.

"Behold, ladies. The next greatest thing to hit the toy market."

He hit a button on the side and dropped the device. Six inches from the ground, it stopped and a cat seemed to materialize to stand there with the device as a collar. It meowed and walked forward to sniff at everyone. Milly bent down and petted it.

"Ah, it is so cute. And this feels like a real cat. What his it?"

"These are Holo-pets. They utilize a new picobot the gizmo guru Ferb here created. They take conductive materials out of the air to replicate themselves till they form the body programed in the Hub. It's just a shell, but it's as durable as a real animals skin. The best part of these is that collar really does function as a watch and activities center for the pet. You can also hook them up to your computer at home. They will interact with you on the screen and listen to you if you have a mic. Ferb wanted to wait till we had a few more varieties to unveil them, but since I kinda blew our dive into my mind, the least I can do is send you home with a compilation prize. We have a cat, a duck, and a micro pony."

"A micro pony?" Katie asked.

"It's about the size of a cat. We made them every shade of color we could think of and added details like hearts and stars to the bodies. According to focus test we did, they were very popular among girls."

"OH, I WANT ONE!" Adyson rushed up to Ferb as he dug out another on and handed it to her.

"I want a kitty." Gretchen took another Ferb had in his hand.

Soon everyone had one and the yard was full of knee high animals. Isabella had taken a pony like Addison and discovered that her's was purple with a pink stripped mane and tail. She didn't want to, but it was so cute that she hugged it for a few minutes before letting it down to run with the others. She looked up at Phineas as he stood by his brother. The smile on his face couldn't not have been larger.

_How do you do it? Even with what I just went through, which was MY fault, you still made me smile. _

An hour later, everyone was ready to leave. Phineas went over the details of how to deactivate the physical representation of the pets, which was hitting the button on the collar. Care was minimal, just digitally feeding them once or twice a day. They left giggling and laughing as the brothers stayed in the yard. When everyone was gone, Phineas looked at Ferb.

"You didn't notice anything weird while we were in my head?"

Ferb tilted his head and had a concerned looked on his face.

"I don't know, but some how I feel like a part of me was almost …... violated. Got any ideas?"

"You did just let a bunch girls pick your brain."

He laughed. "Yes, yes I did."

They picked up the yard and stored the devices in their storage unit in the garage basement they had made a month ago. They then went inside to see what was for lunch.

…...

At the Fireside Girl hideout, the girls gather to talk. Isabella was bombarded with questions as they entered. She sat down at the table near the back of the room and leaned on it with one arm.

"I'm fine girls, really. I just bit off a little more then I could chew."

"A little? We thought you were in a comma!" Holly sat down beside her at the table.

"Yeah. I really have no idea what happened there. I guess I would like to know, but who would know and who could I tell without Phineas finding out?"

"I know, Baljeet! He could tell us!" Ginger exclaimed.

"You really think he won't tell Phineas?" Milly shook her head as she questioned the other girl.

"Not if we ask him not too. Doctor patient confidentiality." Ginger already had her phone out.

"Fine, go ahead." Isabella still felt a little unusual. But it was passing, slowly.

Ginger put her phone down and hit the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Baljeet, we are in need of your brilliant mind on the matter of psychology. Can you help us?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely. Sure. What can I do for you?"

Isabella spoke up, "I thought you where judging a spelling bee today."

"Isabella? I thought this was Ginger's number. But that ended at eleven."

Gretchen spoke up next. "We need you to analyze a situation that happened in Phineas' mind and tell us what happened. Can you keep the oath of a doctor and just keep it between us?"

"How many of you are there? I guess I can. You went into Phineas' mind? Oh boy, I bet that was a trip."

"Yeah it was, but we need you to help Isabella. Go ahead and tell him."

Isabella hesitated at first. But soon told him everything, even the empty void she had sat in. After she was through, she could feel several pairs of hands on her back. They were there offering her support.

"I see. So when you called me this morning..."

"Yes, this was the reason. It didn't work out the way I planned."

"No kidding. I'm going to skip the Valley of Logic and the walking in the Forest of Memory as that is just straightforward. The exiting of the forest and the door is what we need to focus on. When you walked out of it, you entered another level of his mind. I am guessing that is what alerted him that you were missing, as it cause him feel that something was wrong. When you touched the knob, he most likely felt something like a mental violation. So he pushed everyone out of his mind. But you where no long in the same part of the his mind. You had gone into a small pocket of his subconscious. When the machine attempted to push you out, it didn't push you all the way back into you own mind. That void, a complete disconnection to everything, was exactly that. It's like you were stuck in the wire leading to you mind, unable to access you memory or any other part of your mind except for your conscious mind. But all that does by itself is interpret the world around you. In the void there is nothing to see, thus nothing to interpret.

"So how did I get back?"

"You said you heard a voice. You started focusing on that voice. Your mind had something to interpret and it leaped into action. Pulling you toward it so it could do it's job. The light you saw was you re-entering you own mind."

"But when I woke up, I didn't know who was in front of me."

"It takes a moment for a mind to reboot itself after something like that. Confusion is natural and expected. But you made sense of it in a second or two, so all is well."

"I still feel weird."

"Hmm. I'm betting its not what happened to you that's causing that. I bet that is guilt."

"Thanks, doc."

"Be nice, Baljeet! That couldn't have been easy to go though." Ginger said.

"I imagine not. All the same, only one can be at fault. I recommend asking for forgiveness and laughing. I hear chocolate works wonders too."

"Thanks." Isabella closed the phone and sighed. This was the worst idea ever in her eyes. But it wasn't over. She still felt hollow.

…...

"He's here for his order, Alice."

She walked over to the shelve and pulled out a tube. Inside was the blueprints for whatever device the guy wanted. All his names seem to have the suffix 'inator' in them. Not to mention that he ordered a new one made almost every day. But his account was always paid on time, so the boss what more then happy to accommodate.

"Here ya go Mister Doofenshmirtz"

"It's Doctor. Doctor Doofenshmirtz."

"Yeah, whatever. Have a nice day."

With a grin and a nod, he left.

* * *

**Review and have fun. **


	5. Unexpected

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Phineas and Ferb sat on their beds reading, neither caring nor thinking anything about the day's events thus far. A familiar crackling sound emitted from the floor that caused them to look away from the novels.

"Oh, there you are Perry." Phineas stated as he rolled almost off his bed to pat the platypus on the head, then back over to return to his reading. He looked up a moment later as he heard a faint beeping. He looked around to find the source as it stopped.

"Ferb, did you hear that beeping?" He shook his head. Phineas looked around again and noticed something missing.

"Hey, where's Perry?" Then he noticed what he said.

"I'm saying my lines out of order today, aren't I?"

Ferb nodded.

….

Adyson and Gretchen walked on either side of Isabella as they walked her home. After hearing what their troop leader had endured, all of them agreed to not leave her alone until they were convinced she was okay. A few phone calls covered the duo as they planed to stay with her throughout her recovery.

Isabella didn't want that, but she knew better then to refuse it. The stern looks on the girls faces told her they would have fought her tooth and nail before they gave up. Although Baljeet had been a little rude in pointing a finger at her as the reason she felt this way, she couldn't deny the reason his word stung was because they stabbed with truth. She had planned it and executed it. The result, however bad, was her responsibility.

They reached her house a few hours after lunch. The others in the troop went home but were on stand by if she needed them. It was nice to have so many friends ready to help you if you needed it. But the problem she was having could only be solved one way, and that was talking to the guy she wronged.

What made it harder was the fact that he had taken all responsibility for the situation without any idea of what she had done. But that was Phineas. That was one of the many things that drew her to him. That and his persistence to make up for his mistakes with super neat things. The ultra cute Holo-Pet she got made her feel better because it was a gift from Phineas, but worse due to the situation surrounding her receiving it.

Gretchen was the first to speak up as the walked into Isabella's lawn.

"Why not just get it over with? He lives right there. Come on, lets go." She tried to pull Isabella out of the lawn, but she failed. Adyson looked at the troop leader and waited for her response.

"You know he is going to ask why I did it, right?" Gretchen stopped pulling. "I just don't know if this is the way I want to tell him how I feel about him. I mean, hello, I sneak off inside his mind to find his secrets. How bad is that going to look?"

"Love makes you do crazy things." Adyson piped up in her defense.

"You heard Baljeet. I violated his mind! VIOLATED! It's like I walked in on him in the shower or something. Then he gives us these Holo-pets. I got a gift from Phineas, a gift I can keep with at all times, and I got because I invaded his mind." Isabella was fighting back tears now. She looked up and saw the Flynn-Fletcher house and turned away. "How can I face him like this?"

Her phone buzzed. She had a new text message. Part of her wanted to ignore it, but the other part knew she needed to check it.

_Are you ok? You look like you're about to cry._

Adyson and Gretchen were taken aback as Isabella snapped straight up with eyes as wide as she could manage. There was no reason to check the number, she knew who sent it. He had been watching.

She started to text back that she was fine, but Gretchen's sour look stopped her. After a few minutes, she typed her response.

_Can you come out? I need to talk to you._

Bing

_Sure. Be out in a minute._

Her heart was racing. There was no escape now. She was about to tell her best friend, her crush, what she had done to him in order to make sure he like her. This was the end, he would not forgive her for this. Why would he? She violated something sacred, a personal statuary within the mind. How could not be offended by that?

He ran out of his front door and was in front of her a moment later. "Hey, Isabella. Whacha Do'en?"

Her catchphrase. It brought a smile to her face as she rocked on his heals and leaned his head forward as he said it. _Darn you! Why do you always have to make me smile?_

"Phineas... I want to talk...about what happened."

"Ok."

"I ...wondered off on my own."

"I know."

"You do?" She was shocked to hear that. Did he really know what had happened all along?

"Of course. There was only one way you could have gotten lost, and that was if you wondered off alone on purpose. I can't say I blame you, my mind did look like a lot of fun. I'm just sorry I didn't notice it sooner. When I called Baljeet and talked to him about what you went through ..." He shuttered. "I can't tell you how very sorry I am for you having to experience a consciousness separation. I should have built in better safe guards to prevent such a thing from ever occurring. If there is anything I can do to help you, please ask it."

_No. This is not how it is supposed to go. He just took the blame from me again and did so rationally. _

"Phineas! I violated your mind!" She stamped her feet and closed her eyes as she said it. Hoping against odds that he wouldn't hate her for it.

"No you didn't. And even if you did, you're my best friend, I would forgive you."

Her jaw was on the floor, as was Adyson's and Gretchen's. There was no way he had just said that. The look on his face was giving them a questioning gaze. _He...he...he...he forgave me. Just like that... he forgave me._

"Isabella? Did I say something wrong?"

She snapped out of her blank stare. A reassuring smile blossomed on her face and she responded. "No, you said everything perfectly. Thank you, Phineas."

"No problem, happy to help. If that is all, I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun." With a wave, he ran back across the street and looked in the backyard. He went in after seeing something, they guessed it had to be Ferb.

"Well, are we going to stand out here all day?" Adyson had recovered and was looking around to see if anyone else had been watching the three just standing there.

"Lets go inside. I suddenly feel like playing a board game, how about you?" The smile on her face had not faded at all, She felt a thousand times better now. He knew and had forgave her. All was right with the world. The other girls agreed as they entered the house. A simple game did sound nice.

…...

The brothers spent the rest of the day programing some new Holo-Pets. They now had a dog, small bear, and a Tasmanian devil. They packed them up and put them with others and planned to offer the guys one in a few days. They returned to their tree and sat down to relax till supper time. This time Ferb had a question.

"May I inquire why you thought Isabella was crying?"

"She said that she wandered off in my head then violated my mind. I don't see how she could have done that. There is nothing for me to hide."

Ferb's eyes narrowed and he raised an eye brow. "You hide nothing that she might find interesting?"

"Nope. But she was happier after we talked. I hope she really is better. To think I put her at such a risk. I should have known she would be more curious about my mind and venture off."

Ferb gave him a puzzled look.

"Bro, people call us geniuses. Those girls got a first hand look in my head. Why wouldn't someone as smart and adventurous as Isabella want to look around?"

He shrugged as he made another note in the sketchbook he was holding. Ferb always knew more then he let on. But that was his way. Phineas enjoyed his role as organizer and he enjoyed doing anything else.

"Boys, Supper!" Linda called out of the back door.

"Well, that's another day seized."

Just as they brothers where about to enter the house, a beam hit Phineas. He paused a moment and continued walking.

"You know what, Ferb? I suddenly feel like all my fears and worries are gone." He smiled and had a bit more pep that night.

Later that night, around midnight.

Phineas opened the storage unit. Descending into it and finding where they kept all their old blueprints. Shuffling through them, he found the one he was looking for. Scanning over it a second time, he nodded and left. Leaving everything like he was never there.

* * *

**Review and have fun. I sure am.**


	6. I spy

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

A new morning. The sun peaked in the window and caught Ferb's eye like it always did. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he got up and went about his normal summer routine; brushing teeth, changing clothes, blood test, making sure the fabric of space and time were still touching, and feeding Perry. After he completed his task, he walked back up stairs to see if Phineas was done with his stuff yet. To his surprise, he was still asleep.

_Yesterday was a bit hard on him, no matter how much he denies it. Best to leave him alone for now. I can always work on some blueprints. Let's see, its eight a clock now. I'll go down to the blueprint shop and see if that box ever opened._

He walked down stairs to find the rest of his family moving about their daily routines. Candace was ranting about something. This time it was about a summer camp she wanted to go to, which he instantly assumed Jeremy had already enrolled in. Linda was finishing pancakes when she noticed Ferb walk in and sat a plate in his spot with a stack piled high lathered in syrup. His dad, Lawrence, was sitting at the table reading the paper and nodded as he sat down.

"Ferb, where's Phineas?" Lawrence asked. Ferb just pointed up where their room was and cut into his breakfast. They all ate listening to Candace go on and on about the camp. Linda finally agreed to let her and the teen girl vanished up the stairs to pack her bags. Ferb got all his food down and went to the garage and grabbed his bike. He noticed that Phineas' bike was not where he left it, something to ask him about when he got back.

Down the road he went till he reached down town and made his way to one of his favorite places, Blueprint Heaven. He walked in and waited for the customer service representative to come to the counter. When she did, he just blinked at her.

"Oh, I thought you were the other regular. What can I do for ya, sweety?" He pointed to the far cubby hole that had the time locked door on it.

"That one? You and me both were waiten on it to open. When it did this morning, the other regular came in and demanded to see what was in there. I brought them up here and we looked though them. He seemed very excited. But, honey, I could not make heads or tails of them." Ferb blinked again. "No need to get anxious, that boy took them all. Every last one of them. But between you and me, I remember that red head being a lot kinder the last time he came in here."

Ferb's head jerked back and he gave her a puzzled look. _Red head, regular, and he took them all._

"Yes sir. In fact, I would say he was just plain rude. But nuff about that, anything else for ya?" He shook his head and left the shop slightly confused. _Rude?_

He headed to another store.

…...

Baljeet was walking around his back yard waiting to see if Buford came over. He was expecting something creative today as the bully had spent so much time dedicated to his review. When he heard the gate open, he was prepared to be yanked off his feet by his underpants.

"Baljeet. Check my math for me. I must be certain everything is correct." Phineas was standing beside him with four pages of equations on a clipboard. He handed it off to him and he began scanning it.

"On page one, there are no errors. Same with page two. Page three has a tangent where you need a cosign. Page four has no errors." He handed the clipboard back to Phineas, who took it and flipped to the page with the mistake.

"Gah, I knew there was an error. That could have thrown off the whole power regulator." Phineas nodded and walked out the gate as Buford walked in. Phineas bumped shoulders with the bully.

"Watch it, dinnerbell, or you might find out what I learned yesterday."

Phineas turned and looked him straight in the eye and stared. His brow was low and his eye lids slightly narrowed, he didn't blink as he kept his sight trained on him. Buford stepped back in surprise, Phineas then turned back to his notes and went on. The bully walked up to Baljeet rubbing his neck.

"What got into him?" Jerking a thumb at the gate.

"I have no idea. That was the rudest he has ever been."

"Not to mention that he stared me down. No one has ever been able to do that. No one..."

"Did he not seem a little more …..buff?"

Buford paused a moment as he considered the question. If there was one thing he was an expert at, it was sizing up someone's ability to fight back. As a bully, it was very important to know who you could pressure into submission and who you had to pound into it.

"Yes, yes he did."

…

Isabella, Adyson, and Gretchen woke up late after a long night of games, snacks, and talking about boys. The hardship of the previous day had faded away and was replaced with lighthearted laughter. They ran down stairs and scarfed down the doughnuts Vivian had provided for them. They talked about what they should do for the day. The settled on calling a Fireside Girl meeting in the morning and then Isabella would see what Phineas and Ferb were up too.

With a change of clothes, they were off to the hideout in the woods. A few phone calls on the way brought the troop out. They all were overjoyed to see their leader confident again. Isabella took the compliments and gave out her own.

"Thank you all. It's so very comforting to know you have loving and caring troop behind you. But I think my gratitude can be better expressed by what I have to give you all. For managing to distract two of the most observant people we know, I present to you all the Misdirection Patch." Everyone cheered. "Also, for acting as a troop in support of your troop leader in her time of need, I present to you all the Troop Service Patch." More cheers as she passed out the two patches to the girls.

"How did you get these? We were at your house all night." Gretchen asked.

"I called Mrs. Fireside and had her bring them over. She was very proud to as there has only been three troops get the service patch as a troop. I don't think I need to say how pleased she was to hear that you all deserved it." Isabella stated with a large smile on her face.

Milly walked up them as though she just remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask you. I saw Phineas walking out of a pharmacy this morning. Is he ok?"

Isabella's phone was in her hands in a flash. Phineas' number had been on speed dial for years now, so it was not difficult to call him. After four rings, it went to voice mail. She hung up and called Ferb.

"Hello."

"Ferb, is Phineas ok? Milly saw him coming out of a pharmacy this morning. Is he sick?"

"He was asleep at eight when I left him."

"Did he seem sick last night?"

"No. He sad he felt great. What time did she see him?"

"Milly, what time did you see him?" Isabella dropped the phone slightly so she would not be talking load into Ferb's ear. She hit speaker phone so he could hear her response.

Milly showed her wrist and shrugged, she didn't have a watch on. "I saw him on the way over here. So I guess twenty minutes ago."

"You hear that Ferb?"

"Keep me informed of any more sightings."

"You think something is wrong? You wouldn't be telling me that if you didn't. Is he trouble? Does he need my help? What can I do?"

"You will keep me informed if anyone sees him."

"Ferb, at least tell me something to distract me from thinking the worst. Because I am thinking some REALLY bad things right now. I'm kinda starting to freak out that YOU don't know what is going on."

"Isabella. He could be gathering supplies for project. Pharmacies do sell things besides medications. I have no reason to think that anything bad is going on. I intend to address your concerns at the earliest possible time. But for now you have to trust me and keep your mind focused on the task I have given you. I will not fail to uncover the truth. For you and any other that is frightened by the behavior of my brother."

Everyone stood in silence. Ferb Fletcher had just given them a brief speech. The guy, who rarely spoke more then one sentence a day, just gave a semi inspiring speech. I minute later he spoke up again.

"I will take your silence as an understanding of the situation. I'll be in touch."

Click.

* * *

** Review and have fun.  
**


	7. Meeting of the Minds

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Ferb sent out massive text message to all the people he had in the his phone asking for people to help him spot Phineas. Text returned a short time later giving him four stores to investigate. The parts shop yielded nothing as the lady working there had just got to work. The electronics shop told him that he had been there, but he left with just wiring. The clothing store man showed him several things, but he had a feeling Phineas only looked at a few of the items. The pharmacy said he couldn't tell him anything because of some HIP law, but hinted at a section of vitamins. The list of items Ferb had gathered didn't sound like anything they had designed. In fact, he didn't have a clue how they all related to each other either.

No calls from the Fireside Girls and unable to gather any more information on his brothers current location had him returning home empty handed. It was a real blow to him that his brother would even attempt to hide anything from him. They had always been close.

As he opened the gate to the backyard, he came face to face with a large metal cube. He could hear a ratchet tightening a bolt from inside an opening in the side. Ferb walked over to it and looked down into the machine. He knocked on the side; the sound reverberated through the entire interior. Phineas appeared a moment later with a tool in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Ferb, I was worried about ya. You weren't here when I got up this morning. But that's ok. You work too hard on our builds anyways. So I'm going to take on this one while you relax. No no, I will not take no for an answer. You go relax and read." With that said, he dropped back into his contraption.

This was the third time today he was surprised at something Phineas had done. _Well, I don't absolutely know that the red headed boy at Blueprint Haven was him. There could be several regulars that come in there with red hair. But she acted I knew him, and Phineas is the only one I know that goes in there that has red hair. But he is being overly polite now. What is going on?_

"Phineas, have you been out today?"

He didn't come back up this time, but he could hear him speak. "Nope, ate and came out here. That's all I've done thus far. It seems like I'm forgetting something that I wanted to do today, but it's not important right now. Anything else you need, Ferb?" He tone was light and sincere.

"No."

"Okay, I'm here if you need me." The sound of work started up again.

Ferb walked over to the fence and scratched his head. Something wasn't right here, but he couldn't figure out what. He pulled out his phone and texted Isabella that he found Phineas at home. He got a response that she was coming over and should be over in a few minutes.

He sat down by the tree and pulled out his book. It was hard to stay focused with something to build right in front of him. Urges to construct made his hands tingled with anticipation. _Maybe I can work on my own thing today too. That slow-mo gizmo sounded neat._

Isabella came in the gate a few minutes later. He walked up to meet her as she stopped at the metal mass in the yard. She was looking down into it and saw a pair of feet she recognized.

"Hey Phineas. Whacha Do'en?"

"Just building, my love."

Isabella fell back slightly as she heard what he had said. Ferb leaped up to steady her as she regained her footing. She looked up at him with a puzzled look in her eyes. He shrugged at the unspoken question she was asking. With a bit of effort, she pulled herself back up and talked down into the machine again.

"What did you just call me?"

"My love. That's what I always call you." His voice emitting from somewhere within.

"You have NEVER called me that before."

"Really? I'm certain that I have called you that for a long time now. Does that offend you? I didn't mean it as an insult."

"NO! ... aaaaa. It's okay."

"Alright. Call me if you need anything, my dear."

Isabella sat down right out side the machine. She brought her knees up to chin and wrapped her arms around them. Her cheeks were red and the smile on face looked almost forced. Ferb sat down in front of her and gave her his questioning look.

"He loves me, Ferb. You heard him. He really does." He nodded as she was honestly looking off into space. There was no doubt that she was in shock, but why had he said that he always said it?

_Something about this is wrong. Very wrong._

Baljeet and Buford walked into the yard and saw Isabella on the ground rocking back and forth. They heard her muttering something about Phineas, a dress, a house, and other things they could not make out.

"Okay, I'm gone for one day, and everyone goes nuts. At least tell me Ferb is still the same." Ferb's stood up and blinked at him. "Finally, someone acting normal."

Baljeet looked at Ferb. "We ran into Phineas earlier and he was totally out of character. He was demanding, rude, and almost sinister. Even Buford noticed."

"I wasn't scared."

"Nobody said you were. But I am wondering if yesterday's events may have caused him to develop some kind of shifting personality disorder. We need to need to find him." Ferb pointed at the clanging noise. "He is here? Well, that simplifies matters."

Buford walked up machine and carefully stepped past the girl that was still muttering to herself. "Hey, dinnerbell. You want to come up here and give me that look now?"

Phineas appeared with a smile on his face. "What look would that be? I personally enjoy the wide eyes and smile look. But I got a coy look that could be funny. How about spaced out look? Now THAT would be funny." He started laughing at the very thought of it.

Buford stepped back again and nudged Isabella as he did. That brought he out of her trance and had her on her feet. "Watch it, Buford!" Then she looked around and noticed who was there. "When did Buford and Baljeet get here."

Baljeets looked smug. "We have been here for a few minutes." Isabella walked up to the two boys.

"Okay, he is even scarier here. Has he lost his mind or something?" Buford had join the group shuttering slightly.

"There is nothing wrong with him. He's fine!" Isabella stood firm defending him.

"You did not see him this morning when he came over to my house. He was down right mean." Baljeet said with Buford nodding in agreement.

"Well, that's not proof something is wrong. Maybe he was just having a bad morning. …..Or he stubbed his toe…..Or….."

"Isabella. He was asking me to check his work on a series of math equations. And he walked out of the yard just fine. Something is wrong him."

"Perhaps I can shed some light on the matter."

The voice came from the other side of the yard. The four of them turned to find another boy standing in the yard. He was wearing a red cloak with black trim with its hood up. It was opened to reveal the solid orange shirt under it along with the blue jean pants, both where tight on his slightly muscular frame. The belt he had on was black and was gathered together with some sort of weird looking belt buckle. His arms were at his side with black leather gloves covering his hands. The shoes where thick soled gray and red sneakers. His head was hidden in a black mass under the hood.

"OoooKay, he is not creepy at all." Baljeet was backing away to put himself behind Buford.

"Who are you?" Isabella demanded.

"I have come to claim you, Isabella. Join me and we can be together forever."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Phineas had jumped out of the machine and ran over to stand between the visitor and his creation. "You have no right to her! I love her! She will be happier with me! All you want her for is your own selfish reasons!"

"FOOL! You think you can offer her half of what I can? You are nothing but a puny worm. Isabella, come with me, for it is I who truly care for you." He had stepped forward and offer his hand to her.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO TAKE HER!" Phineas slammed a button on the side of the block. Metal arms reached out and cross-crossed across his chest. It pulled him back into itself as the back half shifted and snapped as pistons moved. Handles came down to him as the front half pushed the rest of itself up onto two metallic legs. The back flipped up and over his head to form two three fingered arms. The device hissed as it settled into its finished form.

Buford reached back and grabbed the nerd behind him. "He has a cool suit and I don't? Why don't I have a cool suit like that?"

"It is an extra skeletal suit, or exosuit. As to your question, why are you asking me?" Baljeet struggled to free himself. Buford dropped him as he heard the laughter of the other kid.

His hands were on his hips as the laugh died with him shaking his head. "You really think I am not prepared for your little toy? You are an even bigger fool then I imagined. Isabella, let us be gone from this place." Two more steps forward, but he stopped as the exosuit moved within striking distance. The group head what could have been a growl.

"I said NO! Isabella don't listen to this monster. I'll protect you."

"She has nothing to fear from me. For I came to offer her all the attention she so rightfully deserves. The only one that should be worried is you, pipsqueak."

Isabella was in shock. Phineas was in an exosuit ready to defender her from the madman trying to take her away. _ Why does he want me? He says that he cares for me, but I have never seen him before. I think I would remember anyone that choose to dress like that. But the guy I have been after for years confessed his love for me._ Finally she answered the cloaked figure. "My heart belongs to Phineas."

The cloaked figure jerked back as if he was astonished at her statement. He snicker as he understood the reasoning behind her confusion. His hands reached up and pulled back his hood to show his face. Everyone gasp at the sight. A pointed head with red hair stared back at them.

"I AM Phineas Flynn."

* * *

**Now the battle begins. Review and have fun.**


	8. Arguing with Myself

**All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Isabella could not speak. Her voice was lost at the sight of not one, but two Phineas' standing before her. Both of them professing their love for her, both thinking the other was wrong for her. Her knees hit the ground as the weight of trying to understand the situation too its toll.

"SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU A MONSTER!" The left arm of the exosuit came around to smack the cloaked figure. His glove covered hand came up with an open fist toward the incoming hand. Just before the metal touched him, his hand flexed out. The hand was knocked back and the exosuit stumbled back. That Phineas got the machine under control and put it into a defensive pose.

The cloaked Phineas laughed as he finally turned to face the other. "Idiot. I warned you that I had prepared for you. But then, I guess it would be hard to notice that I had. None of the things I am wearing were designed but us or Ferb." He brought his hands together and popped his fingers as he prepared for the upcoming confrontation.

"So what? The stuff we had was good enough for me to make this."

Cloaked Phineas started walking around the other as he taunted him. "You really forget? I should have known that it was more important to me then you. That today was a day we have been waiting for ever since we began inventing. Today was when a hidden cash of knowledge would come available, something no one had seen in decades." The Phineas in the exosuit had his eyes darting left and right as he tried to recall the memory. There had been something important that he had wanted to do, but being ready to defend Isabella had taken precedence. Nothing else meant more to him then that.

"It doesn't matter."

"Oh, it doesn't? Then let me enlighten you." He pulled out a sword hilt and pointed it away from him. With a flick of his wrist, metal gathered and folded to form a blade, a thin red laser made the edges of the sword. Ferb looked dumbfounded as he realized what that Phineas had been able to do. "Today was the day the time locked door opened."

His eyes went wide as the memory hit him. The other saw the reaction and continued his taunt. "That's right, I didn't forget. And who was down there waiting for it to open? ME!"

"It doesn't matter what you found! Isabella stays here!"

"Then let's play."

The exosuit leaped forward and slammed its giant palm into the ground where the other Phineas had been standing just a moment ago. A side step had taken him out of the line of the attack. He brought the blade to meet the hand and sliced off a finger as it was jerked back. He held the sword in one hand at his side as the two of the circled each other.

"You really don't think a wimp like you can defeat me? She will be mine." The response he got was the hand missing a finger coming at him again.. The sword came up to take another section off, but the hand jerked back. He then noticed the other hand coming at him. He tried bringing the sword around to attack the other hand, but the momentum he had gained slowed his reaction time. It was in that moment that he forgot to shift the sword so that the edge was out. The hand came in contact with the side of the sword and shattered it. The hand then reversed directions and back handed the cloaked Phineas, sending him flying back.

He crashed into the fence, almost breaking it. But even with that, he landed on his feet, looking as if the blow had barely fazed him. Looking up, he noticed Isabella and the horror on her face. Then his gaze shifted back to the other Phineas.

"Our disagreement seems to be unsettling to the lady. Let's make this a private party." He leaped up and jumped off the side of the fence. Rocket boosters in his shoes pushed him forward at an alarming speed. Grabbing the back mounted brace between the arms; he pulled the exosuit into the air. Together, they flew off into the sky.

"We have to follow them! There is no telling what they will do to each other. And we still do not know what caused this." Baljeet was on his feet after being knocked off them by the boosters.

"What we need are jet-packs. I know they have jet-packs here somewhere." Buford looked to see where Ferb was. He found him on the other side of the smoke cloud with a surveyor's scope. The green haired boy jotted down a few notes before grabbing the tri-pod the scope that sat on it.

"Come on, Ferb. Jet-packs!" Freb shook his head. Buford was about to point out what Baljeet had said when the other boy pulled out a remote and pushed the button on it.

The ground shook as the yard parted to allow a massive cannon out. When the base of it came into view, Ferb walked up to it and punch in some data at the computer terminal at the side of it. Once he completed that, the cannon angled down in the direction the two Phineas' had gone in. The rear of the cannon opened and lowered the cannon ball. At ground level, it split in half. Each side had three seats and harnesses.

"Ferb, I stand corrected. This is so much better then jet-packs." Ferb gave Buford a thumbs up as they ran into the ball. As Baljeet and Buford got secured, Ferb walked over to Isabella. He bent down to face her, tears were in her eyes.

"They both are Phineas, they both say they love me. But they are fighting, why are they fighting?" She banged he fist on the ground.

"We won't find our sitting here." He reached out an arm as she looked up. She hesitated before taking it. He pulled her into the cannon ball and hit the trigger starting the firing process. The ball closed and was pulled back into the cannon.. A minute later, it fired. Launching the gang after the dueling duo. The cannon sank back into the ground a moment later.

…..

_I have to get him off me._ Phineas was being carried over a wooded area at the moment by his other self. He had been unable to move the arms of the exosuit since he was picked up by the support arm joining the arms. He shifted the weight of the legs in hopes of it breaking the others grip, it worked.

After the brief moment his grip slip, he saw a metallic hand come up and grab him. He struggled to free himself as he was unable to keep a steady flight path and the two of them started to fly erratically. He was thrown down a few seconds later. His efforts to get his feet under him to slow his descent were in vain. He hit the trees and busted several of the limbs before he came to rest on one very firm branch with the wind knocked out of him. Only the sound of another crash caused him to want to move.

After throwing him off, the other was faced with a dilemma. He didn't have a safe way to land. He curled the exosuit up into a ball to reposition himself. After getting the legs pointing down, he stretched them out just before hitting the ground. They took the force as he skidded across the ground. He used an arm to get himself to a stop. When he had, he heard two pistons in his legs pop. This was not good, but changed nothing. If by some chance the other Phineas had survived the fall, he had to find him.

Neither of them had to search very hard. A clearing was between them and they stepped into view within it at nearly the same. Seeing each other, they readied themselves. The exosuit grabbed and uprooted a tree and charged. The cloaked was pulled back to reveal a set of gauntlets. He shoved his arms into them as the exosuit barreled toward him. He ran toward him as the other brought the tree around in a horizontal strike. The tree was reduced to splitters as the gauntlets hit it with a concussion punch. The exosuit took another step forward before it could recover, in that time; the cloaked one spun around to bring his other fist in line to hit the back of the knee joint. The joint locked and it was not able to be moved.

Throwing away the tree, he brought a hand down to steady himself back into a standing position as he had lost the use of one leg. When he did, the cloaked one knocked out the back of the other knee. Unable to walk, he reached down and pulled the pins on the hip supports. This allowed him to rotate around so that he could at least strike with the arms. He hit a switch hoping that at least one wire managed to remain connected in the legs, and that was for the feet to spread out and allow him to lean back and forth without tipping over. His luck held.

Unable to walk, all the exosuit could do was swat at him. But it had a limited range now. The cloaked one drat in and out of the range, letting the other smack at him like an annoying fly. He saw the machines reaction time start to slow as its battery power was running out. With a quick dash, he avoided the hand, then ran up the arm as it recoiled. He opened his fist and fired an ultra-sonic pulse into the elbow joint. The collision of the two caused an eruption of metal and wires as the arm was separated. He flipped back as the shrapnel flew past him as the arm fell to the ground. Landing a yard away, he took off running again.

Seeing as he only had one arm left, he had only one way left to win this. He waited now and timed his strike. His plan was to not crush the other, just pin him in place. When he made contact, he locked the arm. The clocked one was pushing against the force of the hand on top of him, and yet he was still on his feet. Phineas hit two switches, one to release him, the other to set the self destruct. When he hit the ground, he twisted his ankle. With effort, he forced himself to get up and hop away from his doomed creation. The cloaked Phineas was still struggling as he hopped away. Ten seconds later, the timer reached zero.

Throw into a tree by the force of the explosion because he had not managed to clear the blast radius felt like it crack a few ribs. He sat down in front of the tree and faced the carnage he had caused. Breathing was getting harder, but at least it was over.

A slow clapping sound caught his ears. He turned to his right to see the other Phineas bring his hands together every few seconds as he walked up to him. "I really didn't think you had it in you." He laughed as he walked a few more steps closer. "You really want to know how I'm still alive, don't you?" The other Phineas could only cough as his breathing became more labored. "Well, I am one to gloat. The plans I found had gene modifier that increases durability and strength ten times the normal. Plus I made a little transporter. It comes in handy in those final few seconds."

The cloaked Phineas was now standing right over the other one. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." He smile as the other glared back at him. "Goodbye, my weaker half."

A baseball slammed into the side of his face, pushing over and away from the other. Repeated hit in the stomach, arms, head, and knees kept him backing away. That is when he saw Ferb running out with their modified baseball launcher in his hand. Baljeet and Buford came running out after him and stopped to attend to the injured Phineas. Isabella slowly emerged from the bushed just as the cloaked Phineas caught the ball and crushed it. Ferb cocked the launcher and readied another shot.

"You always were a man of action, my brother. But this is not over." He turned to face Isabella and bowed to her. "Till we meet again." When he came up, his hand was on his belt buckle. A push of a button on it and he vanished in a blue light.

"FERB!" Baljeet was looking over the fallen Phineas. "I do not think he will last long. We need to get him to a hospital."

Buford shook his head. "Yeah, lets put him in a public place with hundreds of sick people all around him so when that lunatic comes after him again he can put even more people on ice."

Baljeet just blinked at him. Buford saw Ferb was doing the same. "What? I've had a grandma in the hospital before."

"Hello, person about to die here." Isabella had moved in and was checking for a pulse. She looked up at Ferb and nodded. "Faint, but there. We have to do something now!"

Ferb grabbed Phineas' hand. "Hands on me." Everyone placed a hand on Ferb's shoulder. He pulled out a cell phone and hit a key.

"Go to HACTA" A pause. 'HACTA located.'

They vanished.

* * *

**Review and have fun.**


	9. What happened?

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

_As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.__**- **_**Henry David Thoreau **

The room was covered in metal plating. A large tank sat in the center of the room with a person floating in it, blue liquid surrounding him. A breath mask supplied the necessary oxygen he needed to live. Three others stood outside the tank. Two were on terminals connected to the tank, the other was a few steps away looking up the suspended body.

Baljeet finally turned away from his console and addressed Isabella. "From what Ferb has told me, this is a secret room he made just in case there was ever a need for protecting someone in fatal condition. The tank before you is called a Healing And Curing Technically Anything tank, or HACTA. The liquid in the tank causes rapid cell regeneration to biological organisms. The introduction of electricity and can alter the chemical balance to become more in line with the patients bio-electrical physiology, thus decreasing the recovery time."

"So it's a healing tank?" Isabella hand her hands clasped together and at her mouth as Baljeet had been explaining. She lowered them just enough to speak. The worried look was not going to leave until she knew for certain that Phineas was going to be OK.

"Yes, that is what it is. Current projections place him being fully recovered in four days." Baljeet heard Ferb cough from the other terminal, he turned again and read the report again. "Just HAD to wait till I said something, didn't you?" Ferb grinned as Baljeet rolled his eyes and turned back to Isabella. "Forty six hours."

"Forty six hours and he is completely healed, right?"

"Yes. That is what I am telling you." Baljeet turned to look up at the floating form of Phineas. "He is very lucky."

Isabella finally let her hands drop to her side and look around. "So where are we exactly?"

"You will have to ask Ferb, he will not tell me. Buford's on monitor duty and has been there ever since we got here. I am going to go check on him and give him the news." Baljeet walked down the hall and out the door on the adjacent wall. She walked over to Ferb, who had not moved away from the terminal after they got Phineas into the tank.

"Are you going to tell us where we are?" She was pleading with her eyes.

"I will tell you, as I will need you to keep an eye on him for the next few days. We are under your house."

Isabella was shocked. "How could all this be under my house?"

"Did you ask us how we built a roller coaster before lunch?"

She yielded on that note. These boys had done some amazing things in a short time frame. So it would be a wonder if stuff wasn't under every house in the neighborhood. _But 'they' built it..._

"So does Phineas know about this place?"

"About? Yes. Where it is? No." Ferb was still tapping away at the keyboard in front of him.

Isabella walked back in front of the tank and stared up at it. It really was a marvel, a healing agent that could heal someone so perfectly. But her thoughts were torn. Here was a Phineas who was almost dead, and there was another out doing his own thing. What was she to do? She needed to talk about this. But to whom? Ferb had refused to speak until Phineas was in the tank and had the setting as perfect as they could be. Baljeet would not understand, Buford would refuse. She sighed as she realized her only options were the Fireside Girls. Not that it bothered her to talk to any of them, but that meant she would have to bring them up to speed and convince them she wasn't crazy.

She walked over to another computer on the walk and sat down. Turning it on gave her a typical desktop. She got online and logged in to see if any of her troop was on. Two members were, Adyson and Hollie. _Well, they will do. _She sent them both messages and both responded that they would be over her house in ten minutes. With that done, she walked back over to Ferb. "I'm leaving. I need to talk to someone, about all this. About what I should think and do. Just point the way out."

Ferb nodded and pointed to the door. "After the security station, you will see a tube. Pass your hand over the green light. That will take you up behind your stairs. Recall fourteen on your phone will open it when you wish to return, but only if you are standing right beside it." Ferb returned to the key board, but noticed she nodded and walk away. He waited a few moments before looking up again. There was nothing more for him to do, the tank was set as good as he could get it without risking harm. A sigh came from him as he walked over to the computer on the wall. Although he had managed to avoid it for now, he new the questions would come. Since he was alone, now was the time to find some.

...

"There ain't nuthin' going on. I've went through every one of them three times searchin' for the guy and I tell ya he ain't there."

She noticed that Buford was talking to Baljeet, who was obviously not convinced that he had tried that hard. The room she came into had a wall of monitors with locations all over Danville. A noise from an opening right behind them suggested that it was a vacuum tube that took you somewhere. _That one must be the way out. _

"So you are telling me that there is no sign of the other Phineas in the entire Tri-state Area?"

Buford growled, which finally caused the Indian boy to back up. "No place with a camera, that's all I can say. Plus Ferb just sent me a message. Let's see... he's taken things from here. Says we would do better to get back out there and look around for signs. So I'm going and so are you. This little ordeal has put me behind schedule and your due at least one wedgie."

"Oh great, and what is my motivation to leave?" Buford reached around, grabbed him, and threw into the tube that sucked him down. Buford nodded to Isabella and jumped after him.

She walked up to the tube and passed her hand over the light right beside it. The whooshing sound stopped before resuming. It felt like it was going up now, she walked in to be pulled away. A moment later she was in the storage closest under her stairs. Getting out and walking up to her room, she felt like a piece of herself was being torn in half. What was she to do? What was she to think about two Phineas' saying they loved her? _Although that one in the cloak did look REALLY good. _

Adyson and Hollie arrived a short time later and got the entire spiel. An hour later, they had been shocked far too many times to count. Adyson had moved over to put an arm around her friend as she completed the story.

"So now I don't know what to do. Should I search for this other Phineas, or keep the one safe in the tank?"

"They don't act the same, do they?" Hollie looked up at her from the floor where she laid.

"I...I don't think so."

"It sounds like they are very different to me," Adyson commented.

"But they both said they love me."

"I would call that reason enough to fight each other," Hollie rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?"

"If two guys love the same girl, there is going to be a fight. That just seems to be the way it works. With to techno geniuses fighting, who knows what they would being to that fight." There was something about Hollie's words that made her see a different angle on the matter.

"So, do you think they're clones?"

"Sounds like some kind of mind split thingy, if you ask me," Adyson said.

"But if they split, shouldn't only one love me? Not both?"

"I have no idea. Maybe it's something else. I think you would have to sit down and talk with one of them to figure it out." Adyson gave her a gentle shove.

"But that other one was so dark and mysterious, not to mention super confident..."

"He sounds cool! Did he look as good as Phineas too?"

Isabella was blushing as the memory came to her. "Better. He had muscles you could see a mile away. The way he wore those jeans...mmmmm. HEY, that wasn't fair!"

"Why? He is Phineas." Hollie was fighting to not smile, Adyson was laughing.

"But he is evil!"

"What did he do that was really bad? Did he hurt anyone other then the other Phineas?" Adyson had moved off the bed and was walking around the room, snickering.

"Well...no."

"Didn't you say he saw you upset that they were fighting and took the fight away?" Adyson continued.

"Yeah, but..."

"No but," Hollie interrupted. "I see where she is going and I agree. There is nothing he did to say he is evil. Just not a well of optimism like we are used too."

"I guess. But should I pick one to love over the other?"

"Why?" Adyson said

"Because I should only love one man."

"You do, and that is Phineas Flynn." Hollie said looking up at her again.

"But there are two of them."

"You don't know where the other one came from. You said you think Ferb is working on it, so let him. He knows what he is looking for and we obviously don't. Just relax and get some rest. Now, it's getting late. I need to be getting home." Hollie stood up and gave Isabella a hug.

"Me too," Adyson said, echoing the other girls actions.

"Thank you both for coming. I...still don't know for sure."

"Sleep on it and see what the morning brings. I'm sure our fearless leader will come up with something. Goodnight. You know how to get a hold of me if you need me." Adyson waved as she walked out.

"Ditto, chief," Hollie left.

She laid down on her bed and wondered. _I wonder if the other would just talk to me. . ._

...

Ferb walked in the front door after spending a few hours researching the condition of his step brother. The results of that time had given him a theory or two, but nothing concrete. He had been thinking about what he should tell his parents. This was certainly not something he could hide or had any desire to hide. But how does one say that your brother is now two people that act nothing like the boy they saw last night.

He walked into the dinning room and saw his dad sitting do at the table and his mom about to serve dinner. Linda noticed Ferb. "Have a seat, sweetie. We're having Shrimp Gumbo tonight."

He smiled and took his seat. Lawrence looked over at Ferb, "Phineas said that he would not be joining us for dinner tonight. Said he had plans. I say, it is odd that you were not with him. But I understand that you both boys are growing up and certain things you might want to do alone. He left over two hours ago saying something about Isabella."

Ferb didn't know how to react. _The other Phineas had been in the house and talked to them. Yet they seem unharmed. ____I don't think I should say anything right now. I need to see if anything is out of the ordinary__._

"They would make a cute couple one day. He was wearing some odd looking clothes. Although they did look good on him. I was amazed how well he filled them out. You two really are growing up." She served the gumbo and starting eating. Ferb ate out of habit. His mind a blur of possibilities that could have happened with the other Phineas here.

Ferb finished up his meal and excused himself. Checking each room in and out of the house before going up to their room. Nothing had been out of place and nothing was missing. Even the storage unit under the garage looked untouched. He opened the door to hear the chattering of a certain platypus.

"Oh, there you are Perry." Perry was in Ferb's computer chair with his front feet on the desk itself chattering away. He noticed that Perry was in an odd place and chattering more then usual. Picking up Perry, he noticed a disc that wasn't there before. Sitting the platypus on Phineas' bed, he looked the disc over. He pulled out a disc reader from under his bed. It was one he had modified to check for viruses and other harmful computer programs. The scan showed the disc was clean and good to use. He popped it in the computer and got a shock.

___These are notes made by the other Phineas on his condition and a copy of all the stuff he found in the box at Blueprint Haven__!_

...

Two hours earlier.

Perry opened the dryer in the laundry room and stepped in. Closing the door, he banged on the roof of the drum. It descended into his lair. He ran over to his seat as it flashed on with Major Monogram staring back him.

"Good evening Agent P. We have had reports that some strange things have been happening at an abandoned steel mill across town. Readings on the mill say that it is consuming a much more electricity then it should be. Of course it's abandoned, so it really shouldn't be using any electricity at all. So using any would be more then it ..." He shook head, "Anyway, we suspect Doofenshmirtz. Get out there and put a stop to it."

Perry spun out of his chair and grabbed his micro helicopter. The driveway opened up to let him out before closing behind him. Ten minutes later he was on the roof of the mill. He could hear welding coming from a skylight near by. The opening provided an easy access to the interior. Once in, he noticed the person doing the welding was much shorter then his nemesis. That and he was wearing a red cloak and not a white lab coat_. ____Who is that__?_

Maneuvering along the metal rafters, he saw that guy had built a nice little work area up in the catwalks above the floor. There was a computer station with a huge monitor, the work table where the guy was currently working, a cot with a few blankets, and another table tilted at a forty five degree angle with blueprints and sketches all over it. Although he had never been there before, something about all this seem familiar.

The boy stopped welding, he pulled up his hood and turned around to look at a sketch. Perry saw who it was, his bill was wide open_. ____PHINEAS! What in the world are you doing here? And why are you wearing a cloak__?_

Phineas stopped and walked over to the computer and hit a key. "Status update: I have managed to covert the phasing principle to account for transporting into solid matter. There should no longer be a risk of such a thing happening." He rubbed his head before continuing, "Condition update. I still don't feel right. Back pain is still the worst part. For what it's worth, improvement has begun. Headaches have stopped and the pain in my leg has subsided. Mental status is still fractured and I am unable to find a suitable cure."

He returned to his welding.

Perry worked his way down behind the computer. Keeping an eye on the buy working, he jumped in the chair and started looking things over_. ____I am not going to have time to review all this. There has to be a blank ... got one. OK, setting up burning program. Let's hope he doesn't notice__. _ The program started burning the contents of the computer as Perry minimized it to hide it. He grabbed a disc case and rolled back behind the computer desk to hide. The welding stopped a few minutes later. Perry tensed up as he heard Phineas sigh, then he heard the strain fabric as someone sat on the cot..

___Curses. He might hear the drive open when it's done__. _He risked a look and saw that he was indeed stretched out on the cot. Perry watched and waited. The slightest move could mean discovery. Time seemed to drag on and on as he waited. Then disc popped out, in a blur of motion he grabbed it and waited. Phineas rolled over, but remained on the cot. Agent P smiled as he worked his way back up to the ceiling and got out to the roof.

Another fifteen minutes later, he was reviewing the contents on Ferb's computer. He didn't want to use his because he didn't want Major Monogram to know he had discovered one of the members of his host family illegally trespassing. _These plans look like weapons. His condition updates mention another Phineas and his connection to him. I wonder..._ He popped out the disc and left it for Ferb.

…...

That same night, way after dark. A girl in pink was walking down the road scared out of her mind. She had decided to do something crazy and sneak out of the house. That part was over. The next part was the hard part, finding the person she wished to talk to.

She had been walking for about thirty minutes. Fear was tightening its grip on her nerves. Just moments away from running home crying, she screamed, "I KNOW YOUR'E WATCHING, I WANT TO TALK!" There was a flash of light behind her. She started to turn as an arm wrapped around her waist. Another flash, and the street was empty.

* * *

**Review and have fun. Next chapter, 'Mind Games'**


	10. Mind Games

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Drifting, everything was blurry as her eyes weakly opened. She had to blink several times before her vision focused enough for her to make out the objects surrounding her. Her head was pounding, but she wanted to know where she was. Groaning, she pushed her self up to sit on the cot she had been laying on.

"You shouldn't rush it. It's makes the headache worse."

The voice came from a chair in front of a large computer monitor. She tried to turn her head, but the world started spinning again. A moment later a figure stood in front of her. With all her might she attempted to force her vision to clear so she could see the face. But more strength she mustered, the more pain pulsed in her head.

"The Snap Transporter takes a little getting used to. I promise it will pass, my dear. In the mean time, you're safe with me." She closed her eyes and just listened to him until her head settled down.

"Who...who are you?"

"You called for me. Who do you wish I be?" The voice had a slight edge in it, but she didn't feel scared by it. Enough of what she remember was there for her to trust that she was in fact safe.

"Phineas?"

"Yes, my dear. I am here."

"Why am I..." She tried to open her eyes again and instantly regretted it as the light of the area burned her vision.

"You have a severe case of motion sickness. Snap Transporters use slip stream energy to transport matter from place to place. It makes for instant transportation, but the body takes some time to adapt to the sudden rush it causes." She heard liquid being poured. Then she felt another hand on the back of her right hand. A cup was placed in her hand. He brought her other hand over to hold the glass before continuing, "Drink, it will help your head stop spinning."

She took a sip and found it was hot tea. The bitterness of it made her lips pucker, but it did wash some of the dizziness away. A few more sips and she could open her eyes. Looking around, she saw that she was in some sort of old warehouse. The smell of metal lingered in the air.

"I want to talk to you." She said staring down at the cup as the world turn just slightly.

"We are talking."

_Is he really being sarcastic? This seems like the worst time to be doing that. _ He was leaning on what looked like a work bench right across from her. He was wearing a new cloak, no signs of burn marks or rips from the fight he had gotten from the other Phineas. His shoes, however, still had some charred parts them, but other wise look unaffected.

"I need to know, are you evil?" She looked up at him to see his reaction. It was even more obvious then she had hoped, he had been caught off guard by it. The look of shock was crystal clear, but he regained his composure quickly enough. She had to take another sip to hide her smile as he responded.

"No."

"But you insulted the other Phineas. Attacked him and almost killed him. That and you have never really asked me if I wanted to come with you."

He crossed his arms, "I just don't see things like my weaker half, but I said nothing untrue. He attacked me first, although I'm certain he will not say so. I never forced you to come with me, I just offered. If I had wanted to just take you, do you really think I would have bothered saying anything?"

_He did grab me out of thin air, but I had asked him too. He had not even bothered to search for me before that, or at least from what I could tell. Since I'm here, it's obvious he was watching me._ Another sip and she started to feel the warmth deep inside, and it was comforting.

"Why do you call him weak?"

"He can do so much more then he puts on. But he refuses to take the risk."

"Like what?"

"You for one. All these years you have fought for our attention and we missed it. We showed you we cared about you; like curing you hick ups with a haunted house, making a mini sub to go into Pink and get your sash, and even creating a biosphere just so you and your troop could get some patches. But that is not what you wanted, you craved something far more simple. All you waned from us was three little words and we failed to say them."

"It's OK."

"NO! No it's not. How many times have you dragged the Fireside Girls into one of our projects? How many advances have you made that we just totally refused to acknowledge? How many times did you try to spend quality time with us and we were too caught up in the project to go? I can not forgive him for causing that."

"But he said he loved me."

"Did he know?" He got up and paced up and down the catwalk in front her. "I guess he did say that, strange that he did. One more thing I didn't think he had in him."

"You keeping saying 'we' when you talk about the past, why?"

"We are connected in some ways, he and I. I don't understand the full nature of it yet, all that I have discovered is that there is one."

"So you can feel what he feels?"

"No, if I could do that, I might be able to tell where he was. You wouldn't know where he is, do you?"

She lied, "No, why do want to know?"

"To rid the world of him. Just as he would do to me."

"Why do you want to get rid of him?"

"It is a basic rule of nature. Two of one kind can not exist at the same time. The connection we share must be broken if either of is to be our own person."

_That explains why they fought so hard, but not how they became two. I need to get back home. But how will I get him to let me go?_

"Are you willing to let me go?"

"Why do you want to go? Isn't this what you want?"

"It is, but I need to talk to the other Phineas. That way …I can see how much better you are for me." She smiled her cutest smile at him, but the glare on his face didn't budge.

"He would just fill your head with false promises and lies. I fail to see how that is worth your time."

_Okay, complimenting him and feeding his ego didn't work. But what if I got him to see the negative side of making me stay._ She walked over to him and held his hands and looked into his eyes.

"I have to see for myself. If you make me stay, that will cause me to resent you. You really don't want that, do you?"

His eyes closed as he turned away from her and walked over to the computer. He rested his arms on the back of the chair. "There is a perfected Snap Transportation device on the bench in front of you. Hit the center gemstone and think of your room. There should be no ill effects this time, or at least not as many."

_It work! Wow, that was a lot easier then I thought. But I need to know where this is too. If they are what I think they are, we will need to get them back together._

"It would be horrible if I couldn't get here to you when I see the horrible truth about the other."

"This is the old steel mill near the pier on the south end of town. But the Snap Transporter can bring you back with just a thought."

She picked up the device as he turned around to face her. There was hurt in his eyes, but she needed to go. For his sake as well as the others. "Thank you."

"Thank me when you return."

She closed her eyes and thought of the HACTA room as she hit the gemstone. When she opened them, she was standing in front of the tank.

...

Ferb had been up for hours working through the information on the disc he had found. A notebook beside him held his thoughts and notes of what he reviewed_._ His mind wondered as he was glancing at the blueprints one._ I think I understand what happened now. But how do I reverse it? I would have ... to ... have... those will do. __He started writing out a list of parts he would need. It was after midnight before he stopped and went to sleep._

* * *

**Review and have fun.**_  
_


	11. Hunting for Answers

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Isabella went back up to bed after spending some time just talking to the Phineas in the tank. Although he was unconscious, it made her feel better just to talk. Her conversation with the other Phineas had given her a lot to think about. She had discovered a lot about him and had concluded that he was not, in fact, evil. _At least its nice to know that no part of Phineas is evil But I can think more on that in the morning I am ... just ... so... tir . . ._

...

Baljeet and Buford walked into the Flynn-Fletcher backyard to find the Englishman surrounded by white boards and tables. Ferb was jumping between them all checking numbers, hammering a part, or connecting a wire. The duo walked over and looked at the boards.

"So, what is all this?" Buford asked the nerd standing next to him.

"It appears to be equations defining the relationship of cerebral electricity and positronic radiation," Baljeet was studying the boards as Ferb raced between them.

"English, nerd."

"I think it has something to do with Phineas' current condition. Possibly a cure. The rest of these look like technical specification. I am not sure how they relate."

"Well, I didn't come over here to just sit around looking at math problems all day." Ferb handed him a map, with several places circled. "What is this, a treasure hunt?"

Baljeet walked over and looked at the map. "I think they are possible locations where the other Phineas might be. I guess Ferb was busy last night narrowing it down to these five areas. There is a note at the bottom that says Baljeet's computer tablet will be needed to instantly communicate results of findings. So I guess I am going with you, because you don't well with delicate things."

Buford smiles, "They just don't make them bully proof. So, beanpole, how we gonna get around to all these places?" Ferb kicked a lever on the leg of the table he was at and the small door opened in the ground outside the circle Ferb had created. A pair of jet packs were sitting on the platform. Buford looked over at Ferb and smiled. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Ferb just grinned.

"I guess we need to stop at my house first then head out. We will be like real spies, like in those movies." Baljeet was working himself up,

Buford strapped on his jet pack and sneered at the boy doing the same beside him. "You really need to stop watching those."

They rocketed off as Ferb continued working. About an hour and a half later, he had a third of the device constructed. Then he heard a familiar voice, "Hey, Ferb." He looked up and saw Isabella leaning on an end of a board with her eyes half open_. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she didn't sleep well_.

He finished wiring the section he was working on before he looked up at her again. Her eyes were closed and she had not moved. He walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder, she woke up with a jolt. Then she looked embarrassed that she had fallen asleep. "Sorry, Ferb. I had a late night last night."

He nodded and motioned at all the work around him. She took it all in and nodded. "You too? At least you look like you found some answers. I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure."

Ferb had walked back over to his work and waved her over so he could hear here as he worked. She walked over and continues, "I went out after bedtime last night. I sneaked out of my house to look for the other Phineas."

Ferb glared at her. "I'm sorry! But I needed to talk to him! Everyone keeps saying he is Phineas and I needed answers. And he answered them. We had a nice talk and I think I understand what happened."

He stared at her, wide eyed and blinking. He pulled out a remote and hit a few buttons. A chair and a couch appear on the other side of the table. Ferb motioned for her to take the couch. When they had both settled into their seats, he said, "Tell me all about it."

...

Baljeet had no problem grabbing his tablet and located the network link Ferb had created to relay the information back to him. Buford had rocketed ahead and they stopped at the first location, an old factory near a power station on the east end of town. The stood on top of factory and looked around.

"So what are we looking for?" Buford saw that people were still going in and out of the place.

"I would think that Phineas would choose a place with less people to discover him. He is hiding after all. This many people coming and go would notice something. I am betting that they saw us too." Baljeet was inputting data into the tablet.

"You didn't answer my question."

"A place a genius like Phineas could hide and work. He said that got blue prints from a box and I assume he built things from those plans. So you would need a place where he could use tools and bring resources without being seen."

"Didn't he just vanish in the woods? That could make gathering things really easy."

"I don't think he made that first, plus he would have to have a place to work on it. We saw him walking around town and he didn't have any of the stuff he had when he showed up at the backyard." Baljeet turned to start heading to the next location.

"So is the people the only reason this place wouldn't work?" Buford was still looking around..

"Would you want to work around that smell?"

Buford sniffed the air and noticed the pungent odor in the air. What doubt he had faded at the smell. "OK, OK where to next?"

Baljeet showed him the map and pointed to the southwest. They jetted off and landed on another building a few minutes later. They looked around before agreeing that this was a much better location. When they looked in the skylight, they saw a work station.

"That looks like something dinner bell would use. Lets get down there and see what's there."

"Do you not think that he might be down there or has made arrangements for people invading his sanctuary?"

"One way to find out." Buford grabbed Baljeet and jumped in, hitting the ON button on his jetpack to slow his descent. They landed on the catwalks seconds later. Buford looked around and saw nothing moving, he let the other boy go.

"See, nothing to worry about. He ain't even here."

"Must you use that word? Oh, look. A computer. There might be something there we can use."

Baljeet ran over to it and started typing away, pulling up files and documents to review them. Buford walked over the desk where several blueprints were laid out. he picked up one of them and studied it. "I think I remember seeing something like this before."

Baljeet looked back at him and saw what he was looking at, "You have?"

"I did a report last year on the experimental weapons of the late nineteen fifties. One of the pictures I came across looked just like this. The article it was in said the thing might be linked to the C.I.A."

"That's comforting. But I think I have found out something about this Phineas. He has taken very detailed notes on what he calls his, quote, condition. After reviewing them, I am ninety percent sure I understand what has happened."

"Then tell Ferb."

Baljeet was tapping on his tablet again and waited for a response once he submitted it. A minute later, a chime indicated Ferb had responded.

"Oh man." Baljeet looked crestfallen.

"What?"

"They already figured it out. I never get to surprise them."

"So are you going to tell me or not."

"OH, right. It's like this..."

...

Two evenings earlier

"Perry the Platypus, as always your presence was foreseen. And by foreseen I mean, COMPLETELY SEEN." He hit a button and trapped Agent P in a giant mouse trap with a platypus size curve in it that fell from the ceiling.

Perry looked around and saw the mad man in his lab coat walking around to sit down in a easy chair with a lamp and small table beside it. "You see, Perry the Platypus. I have finally come to grips with the fact that I am not evil enough to take over the Tri-state Area. This came to me the other day as I was relaxing after our confrontation of the day when I was reading this great book. It was about a doctor that wanted to rid himself of his evil side. He spent weeks making a potion that would force out that side of him and after many failed attempts, he succeeded! But not in the way he wanted. You see, the evil side became it's own personality when he took the potion. That evil side did all kinds of horrible things, thing I won't talk about. But, that gave me the idea I needed. If I was able to separate my evil side from my good side, then I would the EVILEST THING IN THE WORLD!"

He stood up with an evil grin on his face and his fist in the air. Then he turned and dropped his arms as he walked over to a covered machine.

"But, there was one thing about the doctors experiment that causes me to not repeat his exact experiment. His good side remained within him. In the end, that caused his downfall. So I will not do that. I also believe that he took the wrong approach with just trying to drive out his evil side. You see, the mind does not think in good and evil, for those things depend on perspective and interpretation. However, every mind defines positive and negative things by how they effect others. SO... I have created a ray, that will separate the positive and negative portions of my mind into two people. One will be a goody two shoes, the other will be THE PERFECT EVIL MAN! For my negative side would do the most evil of things without my positive side to convince it not too. BEHOLD, THE MIND-BENDINATOR!"

Perry pushed open the jaws of the trap and leaped out

"Perry the platypus, when did you get so strong?" The punch in the side of the face gave him the only answer he was going to get. The platypus jumped over him and pulled a sledge hammer out of his hat. He worked his way up to the top of the device. Hit first hit activated the machine and sent a ray out in a random direction. The second hit pierced the outer shell and caused it to start shaking. Alarms sounded as he ran to the end of the barrel. Perry used the blast of the machine detonating to propel himself out of the building, where he popped open his glider and sailed away.

Behind him, he heard a scream, "Curse you Perry the Platypus!"

...

Back in the present.

A boy stood scanning the horizon. His red cloak flapping in the breeze the setting sun seemed to bring with it this evening. He growled under his breath as his efforts that day had yielded him nothing. _I know your out there, I can feel you. I will find you. Then, we will see who gets her_.

He vanished a moment later.

* * *

**Pop Quiz:** Can you tell me what book, that was first published in 1886, Heinz was reading?

**Review and have fun.**


	12. Mind Meld

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

**Pop Quiz Answer:** Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. Which was part of the inspiration for this story.

* * *

"What do you mean he is not there?"

Ferb handed her the tablet he was reading. It had the report from Baljeet on it. _No no no, he is out hunting for him now. Like he said, neither of them will allow the other to live._ She got her phone out and called Baljeet.

"Yes, Isabella?"

"You're sure he is not there."

"I am sure we would see him, since we are in his hideout. There are not many places to hide."

"He must be out hunting the other one. He said that he could only be whole if the other was gone."

"Oh that is not good. You see, while that might be his desire, neither can survive without the other. So if he finds the other and eliminates him, he will only be harming himself."

Her phone buzzed. "Hold on, I have another call," Click.

" Hey Chief, it's Hollie. I saw Phineas on top of a building. He was wearing a cloak like you described; he looked mad."

"Thanks, keep me posted if anyone else sees him," Click. "I just got confirmation that he is out. He must be hunting. There is nothing else he wants."

Ferb spoke up, "I beg to differ."

"Baljeet, I would get out of there. Call ya later." She hung up the phone and stared at the boy sitting off to the side of her. "What do you mean."

"He wants you."

"What good is that? I'm not going to just hang around him, not when the other Phineas is still healing."

Ferb thought for a few minutes. He then turned around and walked back into the work area he had made. His eyes darted from his plans to the device he had been constructing. Isabella got up and walked over to him.

"Well, what are we going to do?"

He pulled out his remote and hit some keys. A small ball came off a table and started orbiting around the work area. It picked up speed till it became one with the light around them, thus vanishing from sight. A second later, a green light shot out and the yard was empty.

...

Half an hour later, Baljeet and Buford joined Ferb and Isabella in the HACTA chamber.

"You really need to tell people when you are sending some kind of drone to transport them. Buford nearly swatted it out of the air." The bully growled at the mentioned of his failure to hit the drone.

"Ferb has been trying to decrease the healing time of the tank, to maybe get it down to just a few more hours."

"Why?"

"He thinks he can merge them back together, but he said that he needs them both healed."

"Well, then I am sure my mathematical expertise would be of assistance." Ferb motioned him to take the other terminal. The two worked furiously. They stepped back an hour later, sweating. The counter was down to two hours.

"Great job, boys. That's not long at all. So we wait?"

"I'm going home, my mom is cooking steak for lunch." Buford walked out and headed for the tube station exit.

"I think I will be heading home as well. I need to rest from all the excitement. Call me if you need me." He followed after the bully.

Ferb went back to work on the device he had been working before. Isabella just sat and watched. Soon, she nodded off to sleep.

Two hours later. She woke up to the sound of draining liquid. Looking up, she saw Ferb working the levers on the HACTA tank. The seals on the tank popped as the front panel slid down into the floor. Steam poured out from the heat of the device suddenly cooling. A hand came to the side as he pulled himself out. Phineas smiled as he saw the two standing on the floor.

"Hi everyone."

Isabella smiled and was about to welcome him back, but another voice interrupted her.

"Greetings are in order, aren't they?"

The turned to see the other Phineas standing at the door. His eyes were focused on his positive half.

"It took me a while to find where Ferb hid HACTA, and it seems that I did just in the nick of time. For it ends now." The rockets in his shoes shot him forward, aiming for his other half. As they came together, they vanished.

"GO, I'll follow!" Ferb yelled at her as he turned back to his device and started snapping things together.

She pulled out the small round disc she had been given and thought about the two Phineas', she hit the gemstone. She was then standing back in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard. The two Phineas' were fighting again. Punches and kicks impacted both of them as they hit each other relentlessly. They each fought hard, but the negative Phineas still had the enhancements. After a few more minutes, negative Phineas stood over his counter part. Isabella yelled out as she saw what was about to happen.

"Please don't!"

"There can be only one," Negative said as he brought up his arm.

"Don't watch, my love," Positive yelled.

"You must choose now, my dear." Negative opened up his gloved hand.

She was fighting for control, trying to be strong. The man she loved was standing in front of her tearing himself apart. _Neither can survive without the other._ "I can only love one man, and that man is the WHOLE Phineas Flynn!"

"Very well, then the worm dies for nothing." Negative prepared to fire.

"STOP!"

Ferb was standing beside her now. He was glaring at the Phineas'. Negative spoke up again.

"YOU of all people know this is the way it should happen. All these years, he has been holding you back. He never has let you really test yourself, never let you reach your full potential. Everyday HE tells you what YOU are going to do, not even bothering to ask you. I will allow you out of my shadow. Allow you to take center stage for once. Be recognized for the great things you really do. Things this wimp never did." He reached down and grabbed the other one. "So tell me, brother, what do you want to do today?"

Ferb reached behind him and pulled the contraption he had been working out. It was in the shape of a hand held cannon. The end the he was now holding behind him had a slightly larger box on it, his arm was wrapped around that end so his right hand could reach the trigger and hold it. A handle stuck out of the side near the front of it where he placed his left hand. He pulled back on that handle and a gentle hum could be heard coming from the cannon. Over the next few seconds, the hum grew loader.

"I'm going to blow your mind." Ferb fired the cannon, a green light came out of the barrel and hit the two Phineas'. They both screamed as they started to merge.

"ISABELLA!...STOP HIM!" Negative yelled.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Positive screamed.

Ferb stepped forward as they both tried to pull away from each other. He turned a knob on the weapon and the beam grew in size, as did the volume of the two it was hitting.

"ISABELLA...HE IS KILLING US!" Her knees hit the ground at the wails. Tears were streaming down her face as she watched the horrible act before her. She looked up at Ferb, who was stone faced_. He knows this is the right thing to do, I don't. But Ferb would never do anything to hurt Phineas. _"ISABELLA...PLEASE!" _Then why do I feel like he is?_

Ferb took another set forward as the merging only lacked the heads. He pressed on as the each gave a finally scream of agony. Then a burst of wind rushed away from them, knocking Ferb back four feet. She ducked down and managed to avoid being pushed back. A blinking light followed with a cloud of smoke. As it cleared, she a boy rocking back and forth on his heels. He was wearing his orange and white shirt with his blue shorts. The look in his eyes was distant and wary.

"Ferb," He said, "I don't feel so good." Saying that, he rocked back, closed his eyes, and started to fall to the ground. Isabella rushed forward and caught him, easing him down to earth.

_Only one, there is only one now. What will he remember? Will he still love me? Will he just back to being the same guy? Is he even really healed? Could this ordeal done something worse to his mind? Oh, how can I be sure?_ Ferb was getting up as she turned back to see how he was. She decided to check Phineas' vital signs and make sure his body was OK. _Pulse, good. Breathing, clear. No bruising I can see. No blood I can see. He seems alright, but why is he not awake?_

Ferb walked over to the pair and sat down on the other side of him, across from Isabella. He looked up at her and gave her a questioning look. She realized he expected her to have already checked to make sure he was alive.

"Vitals are good. No blood or bruises I can see. But he is out cold. Are you sure he is back to normal?" Ferb shrugged. "How can we be sure?"

Ferb placed something on his brothers head that covered his forehead. He pulled out two small pads from both sides of it and placed one on his own forehead. The other he handed to Isabella, she eyed it cautiously. He saw her reaction and answered, "Mind Machine, version 3."

* * *

**Review and have fun.**


	13. Facing Logic

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

Isabella was hesitant to accept the pad from Ferb, but knew it really was the only way to be sure his mind was intact. Ferb closed his eyes, nodded three times, and was gone. He just sat there, not moving. She sat down and crossed her legs. Taking a deep breath, she placed the pad on her own forehead and closed her eyes. _4...3...2...1_

She opened her eyes and was once again inside the mind of Phineas. Although this time things looked different. Sounds of rocks smacking together rung all around, causing what felt like earthquakes. Colors of objects altered and changed at random. In the sky, she saw outlines of the two Phineas' slowly overlapping each other. Ferb was running back up the hill when she saw him.

"Well?" He gave her a thumbs up

She breathed a sign of relief. But then a thought occurred to her. There was still a lot she didn't understand, and she did know of a place she could get some answers_. Well, since I'm here_.

Ferb motioned that he was leaving.

"I will be alone in a little bit. I just want to sit here for a while, just to be certain."

His eye narrowed, he there was something about him that told her he didn't believe her. But despite that, he nodded. "Don't stay too long."

With that, he reached up to his forehead and pulled at nothing. He vanished a second later_. At least I know how to get out now_. She ran down the back of the hill and heading down a path she had walked before. A few minutes later, she once again stood in the Valley of Logic. There was still a crack down the center of the valley, but it was fading quickly. The whispers came again like they had before, but this time she was ready.

"I have questions."

"Then ask." The little sprite from before was standing in front of her again. She jumped back in surprise, for she didn't expect it to work that quickly. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself.

"Why did both sides of Phineas say they loved me?"

"All of him loves you."

That was not really the response she had wanted_. But I have to remember, this is logic speaking. They don't give detailed answers. All they do is answer the question and nothing more_.

"Why was I the object of their obsession?"

"Only one could claim you."

"But why was that the thing they obsessed over?"

"You are the thing they thought about the most."

_What? I was the thing they thought about the MOST? But are their feelings the same as his_?

"Does Phineas love me?"

"Yes."

"Why hasn't he ever told me?"

"He shows you everyday he can."

"He hasn't showed me anything."

The sprite just stared at her, blinking the white dots that served as it's eyes. She waited for it to respond, then she realized she had not asked it anything.

"When did he tell me?"

"Five minutes ago."

"I mean the whole Phineas, when did he speak the words I love you?"

"He has not."

"The why did you tell me that?" She was started to get frustrated.

"He shows you."

"How does he show me?"

"He does things for you."

"Like what?"

"He built a haunted house to cure your hiccups."

"SO?" She was full of anger now.

"No one else would have gone to that much trouble."

_Wwwwwwwwhat? _The thought hit her light a ton of brinks. Phineas and Ferb had done so many amazing things that the notion that some of those things were done just for her seemed insane. But there was no other reason he would do that. _But he had._

It was a few minutes before she could speak again.

"So, was this ever a secret?"

"No."

A crushing blow. She had run off for no reason. _If I would have managed to open the Door of Secrets, I would have found nothing I wanted. I would have wasted all that effort._

Tears started to form in her eyes. "Why has he never said anything?"

"Actions speak louder then words."

She was really starting to hate logic. It was making her look like the one who was oblivious to HIS advances. _How could this be true?_

"Does he understand that I want to hear him say I love you?"

"No."

_Huh? What does it mean by that? Phineas is the smartest, most creative man I know. How could he not?_

"Why is that?"

"His age prevents him from understanding that point without it being told to him."

_Well...I guess that does make sense. We are only ten. _

"What would happen if I told him."

"He would eventually tell you."

"Eventually?"

"Yes."

_Alright, that is getting me nowhere. Time for a different angle._

"What if I told him how I felt about him?"

"He would say that he had the same feelings for you."

"How can I be sure of that?"

"You must discover the sources."

"The source of what?"

"His affection."

_I never thought of that. To think that I would be a part of that. Oh, Phineas..._ She snapped out of her brief day dream.

"Where is it?"

"Not here."

_Not this again. _She sighed as she readied to restate her question, but another voice came from behind her.

"I can lead you there."

She turned around and saw herself floating down to her. The same hair, the same pink dress, the bow. The only difference was that her skin was some what transparent and blue. She came to a stop just a few inches from her, but remained floating.

_Not of us._

Isabella looked around and saw that other sprites were standing along the valley walls. All of the them were speaking softly, but loader then their whispers. It was a little unnerving to see them all out and almost chanting. She wanted to ask what the problem was, but the sprite that had given her answers was gone.

_Not of us. _

"Come on, Isabella. I will take you to what you seek." The floating version of herself said gesturing for her to go back the way she had came in.

_Not of us._

"Oooookay." She started walking out of the valley. As she did, she couldn't help but notice that the one leading her sneered at the sprites. As though they annoyed her.

…...

_Oh, man. My head is on fire._

Phineas opened his eyes and looked around. He saw Ferb sitting beside him. "Hey, bro. What's up?"

Ferb blinked and turned his head slightly to look of the other side of his brother. Phineas turned his head to look at what he was looking at. That is when he noticed Isabella sitting beside him. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing lightly.

"What is she doing?" Ferb pointed to Phineas' head. He reached up and touched the metal device on his head. He was about to pull it off when Ferb shook his head. "So she is in my mind?" He nodded, but he looked worried as he looked at his watch.

"She should have been out already? Wow, Ferb. You left a girl in my head all alone? No wonder I still have a headache. Well, no use waiting around for her. Send me in!"

Phineas laid back down and Ferb hit a button on the device. They both counted back and were standing, once again, inside Phineas' mind.

"Wow, this is not the way I left it. I can't see Isabella causing this much carnage, but it looks to be correcting itself nicely. Come on, I know a place were we can get some reasonable answers."

They walked down the back of the hill and into the valley. As they did, they could hear chanting. All the little black sprites lined the walls of the valley as the brothers walked down it.

"Hey, Ferb, look at all the bits of logic. And you say I can't be reasonable."

___The master_

___The master._

"Why do they call me that?"

One sprite appeared in front of him, but the others did not disappear. The chanting stopped.

"We are only a part of the whole. You are the whole."

"Wow, that is so cool. Have you seen Isabella in here?"

"We have."

"I knew she would find this place. Can you point us in the direction she went in?"

"Back the way you came."

"Huh, I guess she made a turn we didn't see. Where was she heading?"

"She was being led."

"Led? But who in here would . . ."

_Yes, Yes_

The other sprites chanted as Phineas thought. He smiled as they did.

"It's neat to your own thoughts being played out in front of you. But if that is true, then that would mean . . ."

_Yes, YES_

Phineas turned to his with a determined look in his eye. He pounded one fist in his other open palm and declared, "Ferb, I know what we're going to do today."

* * *

**Review and have fun.**


	14. Cousin Id

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

The brothers ran out of the valley and headed back to the hill. Phineas closed his eyes and pictured some things in his head. When he opened them, there was a table with a map on it. The map was one of this mind as they saw it.

"Alright, Ferb. I have every reason to believe that Isabella is being lead to the Lake of Stray Thoughts. The person leading her, as confirmed by the bits of logic, is a shell of her own consciousness. We all assumed that she returned to her own mind after the separation accident, but it looks like that wasn't the case. She came back into my head, then the fail safes in the Mind Machine kicked in when they picked her up and pushed her back into her own mind. However, the trauma of the separation itself caused it to fracture when it got back to my mind. Her subconscious managed to heal the portion that got sent back to her mind. But it stands to reason that what was left here just wondered. Then you tell me I had my mind split. I bet that second traumatic event might have done one of two things. Either she got split with my mind or went with just one half. Both, I think, would make her snap."

Ferb's hand was on his chin as he listened. "What would she have to gain by going there?"

Phineas had made a white board materialize and was drawing all over, organizing his thoughts.

"If I remember those books I read up on recently, I would say she is trying to do something to my Object of Affection. It can be found at the center of the lake. Whatever it is, I think they are getting themselves into a very dangerous situation."

"And?"

"This shell and the real Isabella are invading a scared portion of my mind."

Ferb waved for him to continue, as he knew this was not the conclusion of the explanation.

"What do you do if someone ask about your mother?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"YOU SEE? That is my point. If something is sacred and sensitive to us, we tend to reject anything attempting to invade on that subject. Especially if there is deep emotions connected with it. Its a basic, primitive instinct."

Ferb gave him a questioning look.

"Dude, if that is a basic and primitive reaction, what have we came in contact with before that would act in such a manner?"

Ferb's expression became serious as he understood where his brother was going with this. "If she came in contact with it. . ."

" . . . it would rip her to shreds."

...

They had made it past the Tree of Ideas and were making their way across the barren waste land of Grudges. She noticed how empty it was and took that for a good sing.

_At least I know he harbors no grudges toward me about that accident a few days ago. He really was telling me the truth. Not that I didn't beli... you are arguing with yourself, Isabella._

"How much further is it?"

"Not far. Just a bit more." The transparent image of herself was starting to give her the creeps. _If this is what Phineas' imagines me as, then I am having a serious talk with him._

"So, what is it like being a part of Phineas' mind?"

"Loud, very loud. But you will see, you will see."

Isabella regretted trying to make small talk again. The more the image talked, the more she wondered if being around her was safe. She had really been happy to see her after they left the valley. Telling her all about the world around them and how it worked. It was an amazing thing to start to understand how everything worked together to keep the guy going. But the longer the conversation went, the more obsessed she sounded.

She had gone on and on about this object in the center of the lake, like it was the only thing that mattered to her. When pressed, she said that she couldn't get close to it. That confused her. Why could she not? What prevented from getting close? _More importantly, why does she feel that my presence will make any difference?_

"We are here."

She could see what appeared to be ghost floating all around. They went as high as see could see and seemed to all be moving the same direction, almost like they were flowing along a current. Every now and then, she could make out something in the massive mess of thoughts. She saw a saw, a rattle, rings, and something that looked like a picture.

"So this is the Lake of Stray Thoughts?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't look like much of a lake." Suddenly the wall burst into what appeared to rain, falling to the ground. As it collected, it smoothed out to look like a very calm lake. The waters surface was only disturbed by the occasional random thought that passed near the surface, but they vanished as quickly as they came.

"OK, that looks more like a lake. But how did that happen?" She looked over at her floating self, who seemed to be muttering to herself.

'Just as I thought, she has influence here. Yes, we will make it.'

"Hello, are you going to talk to me?"

The other snapped to attention and looked her right in the eye. "Sorry. This place can be influenced by strong thoughts. You said it didn't look like a lake, so it became what you see as a lake. I must agree that it looks much better this way." She floated over the surface, then turned back when she realized she was not being followed. "Come on, this way."

"Won't I fall in?" Swimming in so many random and confusing thoughts did not sound like a fun time. The other floated back over to her.

"Look at what you did. You made the lake into what you wanted it to look like, could you not also walk on the surface of it?"

"I guess I can."

The other grabbed her by her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "DON"T GUESS, KNOW!" Then she let her go. The few seconds they touch, made Isabella feel sick. It was like the image was a part of her, not Phineas. But something was very wrong with the image, she could feel it deep inside herself.

"Alright. Lets go and get this over with." She was determined to just see what she needed to and get as far away from this as possible. So there was no more playing around, the feeling had not left her as she pressed further along the lake.. She refused to look down at all the thoughts running around under her feet. Whatever they were, they were not her and would not help her in the mission she had given herself. She walked on and on until the land behind vanished from sight. The image stayed a head of her and seemed to know the way. _I just hope we get there soon. The faster I get away from this disgusting figment of his imagination the better._

Before long, an island appeared. The image perked up at the sight of in and her color seemed to brighten. A few moments longer and they could make out a shining sphere at its center.

"THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!" The image was leaping around in the air with glee. She floated gently near the globe and waved her over as the distance decreased even more.

_Something about this just feels wrong. _ Isabella inched her way closer until they just mere feet away. As they stood before it, the light dimmed to reveal its contents. When they looked in, another girl was looking back.

"You can't be here! RUN. It will find you!." The girl in the sphere yelled at them.

Isabella's jaw was hanging open, the words fell on deaf ears. She was shocked beyond anything she could ever know or understand. Here in Phineas' mind, with it fused back together, she had found the very thing he had the most affection towards. The thing he thought about without thinking. The single most important thing to him. The very object of his affection was staring back and her and she could not believe what she was seeing.

_Its...its...its...really...ME!_

A roar came from behind her, like that of an angry tiger. She turned to see what could have made such a frighting sound. She gasp in horror as saw some kind of creature barreling toward them. It ran on all fours, with long claws on each finger and toe. As it got nearer, she could see that it was about the size of the real Phineas, that being short. The triangular shaped head was there too, However, it had fangs coming out of it's upper and lower gums. Then she saw it's eyes. They were nothing but glimmering, crimson orbs.

"THE ID!"

* * *

**Review and have fun. The conclusion is next with my 'Final Thoughts'.**


	15. Final Thoughts

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

It was close enough for her to see its expression now, to see the hunger in it's eyes. It's back legs flexed with awe inspiring power. Into the air it leaped, coming right for them with devastating rage and speed.

_OH MY GOSH! I AM GOING TO DIE!_ The last of her courage had faded. The horror of the miss figured thing in front of her had burned up what little faith she had left. In desperation, she called out the one thing that made her feel safe.

"PHINEAS!"

A brick wall appeared out of thin air right in front of her. She blinked in disbelief before stepping back at the sound of something hitting it from the other side.

"Now now. That is no way to treat a lady."

She looked up, standing on the wall was the very person she had cried out for. He was looking down on the other side with a smile on his face. As he nodded in satisfaction, he turned to face her.

"Sorry we're late. Had to get some things ready for this party," He looked back up and behind her, "Hey, Ferb. Mind keeping this thing busy?" She turned around to see his brother, but came face to face with her image instead.

"COME! We will merge with the object. Then, we will be with him FOREVER!" The image pulled at her as she tried to drag her along the ground toward the sphere. Isabella strained against her pull. _NO! This is wrong. I want Phineas for my own, not be a part of him!_

"So that's what the shell wanted." Both Isabellas turned and saw that Phineas had moved to stand between them and the sphere. He had something strapped to his back, which looked slightly familiar to the real Isabella. "I figured out where the shell was leading you, but I didn't know the reason why. So thanks for clearing that up."

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT! I AM ISABELLA!" The image of her was screaming at him. She tried to pull away, but the image had a firm grip on her.

"You are what you are. There is not enough of her in you to make you a solid object within the astro plain. So you are a mere shell of your former self. I'm really sorry you had to experience that. But you do realize that the merger you are suggesting would do more harm to you then good? You would lose your identity. Cut off from your own mind, you would permanently become a foreign body inside my head." Another roar came from behind the wall as Ferb was shooting tennis balls at it. "And I don't see something being very happy about that."

"WE WILL BE WITH YOU FOREVER! YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO IGNORE US AGAIN!"

"I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this."

The image turned to face her again and began rambling, "You know this is for the best. Here, deep within his mind, he will never be able to forget us. Never be able to overlook what we say. This IS Phineas Land! We can stay here! Forever! Paris will never happ . . " The image cut off as she started screaming. Isabella was shocked when she to started screaming as well. The pain was so great, like something was being forced back into her body through her very pores. Her head was on fire as she could hear another voice that was not really her own. She managed to force her eyes open slightly to see that a green light had surrounded her. Pain. _The image?_ She didn't see the image anymore. So much pain. _Where is the image?_

A moment later, it all stopped. She had no control over her body. So weak. Someone had her. They were carrying her. So tired. She could feel the warmth of another body. With all the strength she could summon, she managed to open her eyes.

She was in front of the sphere. A hand was touching it, the girl on the other side had pressed her own in the same spot. Moving her head the other direction, she looked at the boy holding her. Phineas looked down at her as the world started to fade again.

'_Don't worry, Isabella. I'll keep you safe'_ The voice sounded so far away. She wasn't even sure it had really been said to her or if it was just her thinking it. Either way, it made her happy. Just before sleep took her, she managed to utter three words,

"I love you."

...

Phineas had carried Isabella home after they had made sure she was safely back in her own mind. With all the drama over the past few days, it was worth double checking. Vivian has snickered as she allowed the boys in and up to her room, under her supervision, to put her in bed. They had then returned home, where Phineas discovered just how tired he was. Both of them slept the rest of the day and night.

The next day, she still had a splitting headache. Which caused her to go back to sleep several times. Her mom had checked in on her several times during the day, but she just said she was fine and just needed sleep. Phineas had texted her to make sure she was alright early that morning. It was noon before she responded.

_I'm fine. Just getting over a headache._

_I know the feeling. We are all in the backyard playing with the Holo-pets if you want to come over._

_Maybe in a little while. I just got up._

_Whenever you feel like it. _

She smiled as she remember her own pink and purple pony. With a stretch, she started getting ready. A shower and a change of clothes later, she was down stairs grabbing a snack. Vivian talked to her for a few minutes before letting her out. _She has to make sure I'm okay. I have been in bed ALL day._

She was out the door and walking across the road. The sound of animals and kids laughing emanated from the backyard she stood outside of. _I wonder what he can remember? I would be shocked if he remembered anything. But he was there yesterday, right? That wasn't just a dream? Oh, gosh. I'm not sure. Did I really say ... what I think I said?_

Even with that thought in mind, only seeing one Phineas would be great. She opened the gate and saw the Fireside Girls running around with new animals. Baljeet, Buford, and Ferb were standing off ot the side talking about something as their Holo-pets seemed to be growling at each other. The smile on her face faded until her eyes came to rest on the red headed boy. He was sitting against the tree with his hands behind his head with his eyes closed, peaking out every so often to see what was going on. _He looks so relaxed._

She walked over to him. "Hey, Phineas. Whatcha do'en?" The smile on his grew as her heard her speak, but he did not look up.

"Nothing." Such calmness she had not heard for a while now. She could tell he was very pleased to be doing exactly what he said.

"Rough day?" She sat down beside him and propped herself up with one hand that was placed near him. She scanned the yard and noted all the happenings.

"Nah, just got a lot on my mind." He was still smiling with his eye close.

"Anything in particular?"

She felt something warm on top of the hand she had on the ground. Her head snapped around to see what it was. Looking down, she could see what it was. But her mind would not accept the truth. Her brain strained to understand what was sitting there right in front of her face.

A hand was resting on hers.

More then the fact that is was there, was the fact that it had not moved away. All notion of time had been lost to her as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit into place. Her eyes worked their way up the arm connected to the hand till she saw the owner. He had an eye open looking at her with the biggest grin she had seen in years. She turned away quickly, but left her hand planted right where it had been. A snicker caught her ear. _He is having fun with this!_

Her best efforts could not get her tp glare enough to unnerve him as she turned back to face him. She could tell her cheeks were still burning as he looked back her with the same grin. A few more moments and she was able to speak again.

"You have not answered my question."

"I guess you could say I am examining possibilities about my life I have failed to give any thought to. Things that may have a drastic effect on my future, as well as others. I came very close to losing something special yesterday. Not only to a savage beast, but to insane version of herself too. Then I stood before something I had not truly grasp until that moment. Shield by stray thoughts, I never considered what the object of my affection really was. But yesterday, I saw it clear as day."

He moved closer to her and turn to face. "Then you said something just before you blacked out yesterday."

_OH MY GOSH! I DID SAY IT! OH... _He continued as her thoughts ran wild. "And I love you too."

_'. . .he will tell you he feels the same about you."_ The words of the Logics rang in her ear as she processed what he had just said. She had known all along. But that missing piece of herself must have caused her to doubt. They had told her, point blank, and yet she had not believed them. _They are a part of his mind, the very logic he uses to reason things out, and I just would not accept what they told me._

She looked up and met his eyes. It was like her was reading her mind, "You did mean to say that, right?"

"Yes. I mean, I had hoped it would have been under better circumstances. But yes."

"Good. Then I guess that settles some things on my mind."

"So...are we going out now?"

"I would like to think so. But at the same time, it feels like we are a little young to be doing such things. I love you, but this is a part of our lives we will never be able to repeat. Being a kid is such a short time in a persons life. I want you to be with me, but I also want to be able to just have fun before I have to accept the responsibilities of being an adult. So I'm not really sure what to do. What are your thoughts?"

"I guess I see your points. But if we have admitted that we love each other, and we are not officially going out, then I am still fair game for any other boy." She gave him a coy smile.

"Fair enough. Hey, look at what Ferb and Buford have done."

Across the lawn, two of the Holo-pets stood face to face. Ferb's tiger leaped at Buford's bear and the two kept smacked each other till only the tiger remained. Buford growled at Ferb. "You cheated!"

Ferb shook his and showed him his watch, where a meter had been installed. It showed that had the bear managed to strike first, he would have won.

"Lucky shot. You said we could train them now? Work them out to make them stronger?" Ferb nodded. "Then I guess I know what I'm doing. I want a rematch, grass head. Next time your going down." The other boy just smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

Everyone enjoyed the rest of the afternoon as Phineas and Ferb revealed they had programmed even more animals into the Holo-pets system. Birds, dinosaurs, sea creatures, and even a platypus could be received now. They told everyone that there was still a limit to how many they could carry on them, that number being two, but they would be setting up a website for them to store and switch them out for others.

As the gate closed, leaving the brothers alone, they relaxed under the tree. Phineas happy with how things had gone with Isabella, and Ferb happy with how the Holo-pet combat system had fared. They both just relaxed as the gate shot open and in stepped Candace.

"A FARMING CAMP! I can't believe I wanted to go to and farming camp! And what was the first thing we planted? PARSNIPS! I couldn't go out for two whole days! Today was the first day I was well enough for them to send me home!"

"So did you enjoy your time with Jeremy?"

She sighed. "No. He was on a different team. So I didn't even get to see him, which turned out to the best thing that happened to me on that trip. So, what did I miss?"

Ferb turned to his brother and waited for him to respond. Phineas just shook his head.

"I don't want to think about it."

* * *

"_To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him._"- **Buddha**

**Review and have fun. But this is not the true ending. But fear not, I will not make you wait.  
**


	16. Epilogue Preview

**__****All Phineas and Ferb characters, episodes, and locations are Trademarks & Copyright © of the Walt Disney Company 2007-2011. I an in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

"Are you really sure I got split in two. I don't remember any of that stuff you told me about." Phineas asked his brother after Candace had went inside. Ferb nodded as he got out his laptop and started working on some things.

"I guess it does stand to reason that if such a thing did occur, ones mind would forget it to prevent harm. Remember doing two events, at the same time, against the same person, is a lot to try to process. All the senses reporting different things would be sensory overload. I think it's a good thing I don't remember that."

"Did Isabella ever ask you what happened to her in you mind?"

"No. I think she might wants to forget that. Seeing a shell of yourself is a rather surreal thing. I'm just glad that the mental version of your Mind Fuser worked. It would have gotten ugly if it didn't."

"You weren't the one dealing with the Id."

"True enough. The tennis ball bombardment did work though."

"So, did you tell her?"

"About going into her mind after we merged the shell and her core conciseness back together? No. It was just a quick look to make sure she didn't fall into a coma. I'll tell her if she ask about it."

"And the other thing?"

"Yep. And it all went great." Phineas was still leaning on the tree as a familiar chatter happened beside him. "Oh, there you are Perry."

"Did you tell her your opinion on dating this young?"

"Yeah, she seemed to agree. Then she said that she was still fair game for other guys. Which is alright, I still have time."

"You know she might start dating without you."

"That's a possibility. But I like to think she would wait on me."

"Are you really so sure?"

"I have no reason to think otherwise."

Ferb smiled and looked over at his brother. _Really? _

"I was playing around with a new program. Want to see what she'll look like in a few years?"

Phineas leaned over and looked at the screen. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped with his tongue hanging out.

"Are you really sure you don't want to claim her no . . ?" Phineas was already running out the gate.

Ferb smiled. He clicked over to the instant messenger he had been using for the past few minutes. Isabella's picture was in the corner. He typed a response to her.

_He is on his way._

_You're a miricle worker, Ferb._

He smiled as he leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.

"Yes, yes I am."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed my little tale. Tell me what you liked about it and tell me what you didn't. Let your voice be heard. This marks the start of a little rest for me as I prepare a new story. It will be in cannon with this one, but take place years later. **

**You know what, why not give you a little preview.**

* * *

They lady thanked Ferb for saving her son from the lizlords, offering him everything under the sun she could find. He asked for nothing but a meal and water to wash himself. She ran out of the house to the well out back. _Will she calm down? I know she's happy, but I am really tired of running after people._

He walked out of the house and found where she had gone. Three buckets were already filled to the brim and one more was being pulled up. She was a bit startled he appeared.

"Young warrior, I would bring you the water. There is no need for you aid me further. You have given me a great gift today. The greatest girt I have ever received."

He shook his head as he picked up a bucket and dumped it on himself. The cool water soaked his clothes, but he was relieved to feel it. _Those darn lizards live right beside an active lava flow. It must have been a hundred and ten degrees in there._

"Now now. I will have no man who just saved my son saying that I did not treat him to a proper bath. There is a tub in house. Now go. The night is still young and you still need your meal." She pushed him forward towards the house. _I hope Phineas is doing better then me. Or at least doesn't have an old lady pushing him around._

...

Isabella had been sitting at the counter at the forge now for hours now. She had been watching Phineas run from fire, to mold, to fire, to hammer, and so on. He was making some new tools or weapons for them, as the ones they had before had been left behind in the beast they had defeated in that haunted town. They had managed to get to Hasimal without having to deal with too many of the local wild life. _Seems like every creature in this world wants to eat you. _

Buford and Baljeet had already checked in on them. They had been sent out earlier to find an inn to stay at and had found one just a few minutes walk away. The rooms had been a little pricey, but were well worth it according to Baljeet. She thought about going back with them and now wish she had. Waiting on Phineas had not been as much fun as she had hoped.

_He is working. ... But that doesn't mean he couldn't turn around here every so often to give me a kiss. ... When has he ever done that? ... He could start now. ... Your dreaming again_. She shook head and looked up to him standing right in front of her. Her cheeks burned at what she had just been thinking. He smiled at her and laid a long white staff in front of her.

"Do you like it? This one will be yours, as soon as I get the Magiorbs fitted into to. If you want a different color, I can still change it. I really wanted yours to be perfect, then I realized I had no idea what kind of staff you would want. So I did the best I could.. . ." He was still rumpling on when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him over the counter to kiss him. They sat there for a few seconds before she left him go. She looked up at him as he looked dreamy eyed back.

"That is all I have wanted for the past three hours. The staff is fine, but you might want to drop in every so often to check on me. I might need another one of those."

* * *

**Lost, seemingly worlds apart, and no known way home. Each will have to forge ahead and make their own path with what they are given. Stay tuned for an adventure into new worlds. **

**The Legend of Phineas and Ferb**

**Coming Soon.**


End file.
